500 Years and Waiting
by swirly87
Summary: It's been over a decade since the last battle with Naraku. Rin is all grown up and Sesshoumaru begins to see her in a totally new light. However, a new threat emerges that might disrupt the two and may delay their relationship forever.
1. Prologue

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Author's Notes: I'm well aware that this prologue sucks, but the following chapters are much better. Promise.

**__**

*Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized. *

****

Prologue- 

Sesshoumaru's Point of View

With dark black ebony hair flowing down her back, lily white silky skin, and the most delicious honey brown eyes I have ever seen during my 200 years of existence, Rin is the most beautiful creature I have know. She is a creature no mere mortal should be able to glimpse, let alone touch. Such a divine creature belongs in the heavens. With her angelic body and voice, such a woman should not be on this lowly earth. Rin, Rin, Rin…I could constantly repeat that name over and over again and never ever tire of it. Not only is she the most beautiful creature this mortal plane has ever behold, her personality and character dazzle me. I have known many such beautiful creatures, but none possess such a wild, kind, carefree nature as she. She would forgo her life in order to save the lives of others. I have witness more than one event in which she would willingly protect others with her own life. 

I have never witness such a courageous and selfless act being performed by anyone except for perhaps…that human mate of my pathetic younger half-brother of mine. What was her name? Oh yes, it was Kagome, that human mate of my brother. I have seen enough of her heroic acts of protecting that half-breed brother of mine…hmm…perhaps Rin have learned that from her. However that human mate of Inuyasha is nothing compared to **my** Rin. Yes, **my** Rin. Although I would never admit this out loud, Rin is mine. 

I have watched her grow ever since she was a pup. Despite having seen many bloody battles filled with gore and corpses, she still has that innocent pure glow that never seems to die. She has gone through many horrible events, has come back to life once, seen blood and violence, and yet she is still that same sweet, brave, selfless child I first encountered over a decade ago. That is what makes her different from Inuyasha's mate. Rin is a survivor and despite everything that has happened to her, she still clings to that brilliant glow of hers. A glow, a deadly light, that attracts moths to it. She is a danger to me…my Rin. For I am that moth and she is that deadly light. For if I fly too closely to that light, I shall be burned. I can not be like my father. A relationship between an immortal youkai and a mortal human is impossible, especially for a Youkai Lord. I am Sesshoumaru, Youkai Lord of the West; I can not take such a risk despite how tempting Rin may be. For now, I can only bask in her light until I can find someway to be with her without getting burned. 

__

Rin's Point of View

Sesshoumaru …such a divine name and creature. When I first gazed upon him underneath that tree, I thought that I had seen a fallen angel. Only when I had approached him directly and when he growled at me, did I realize that he was a youkai. Yet he could not be a youkai, at least not in the way I have heard the villagers describing them. This youkai was too beautiful, too proud, too dignified, and too noble to be that kind of youkai that simply murder and eat humans. I cared for this noble creature even when he continuously pushed me away. I knew he needed help, so I offered him my help… I was use to people pushing me away anyway. When the villagers had beaten me up, he was the only one to care to ask me how I was hurt. He was the only one who ever cared for me. When I died, killed by wolves, he was the one to give me life; he was the one to give me a second chance in life. I followed him and I am still following him. I will follow him everywhere and anywhere. When he leaves me behind and goes into battles, I wait for him. I will always wait for him. Even if it's 500 years, I'll be waiting for him for he has stolen my heart since the day I saw him underneath that tree. 

With his long, flowing hair that is not quite white or blue, his adorable pointed ears, striking amber eyes, and arrogant (yet delicious-looking) lips, Sesshoumaru is the most beautiful, noble, and divine creature there is. No creature, human or youkai, can compare to him. Even though Sesshoumaru seems cold, uncaring, and ruthless, Sesshoumaru isn't. He is like that during battles, but never when he was around me. Oh, he still acts cold and reserved, but his eyes seem to light up just a bit when I give him those flowers that I pick for him. No cold and merciless youkai would save a human at the expense of his life, but Sesshoumaru did. Sesshoumaru may deny it, but I do believe he holds some affection for me. How much affection does he hold for me? I do not know, but as long as he allows me to follow him, I do not care. My whole life revolves around Sesshoumaru. My heart and soul is filled with him…and I would not want it any other way.


	2. Three Arrivals, Refusals, and a Message

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Author's Notes: Enjoy!

****

*_Disclaimer: **Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized. ***_

Chapter 1-Three Arrivals, Three Refusals, and One Message

It was like any other typical day. Sesshoumaru was patrolling his territory and Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Uh were following him. The sun was out and the forest was filled with the sound of life. Sesshoumaru was walking ahead, looking and sniffing around, while Jaken and Rin walked a few paces behind him. The only sounds coming from the group were the footsteps of Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Uh as well as the occasional orders from Sesshoumaru. Rin, now 20 years old, was observing her surroundings when she noticed something wrong.

"Jaken-sama, have we ever been to this part of the Western lands before? It looks familiar, but I don't think we've been here for a very long time," asked Rin as she looked around her surroundings.

"Hmm…you're right, Rin. We have not been here for a very long time. I think for at least a decade," answered Jaken as he too looked around.

"Where are we then, Jaken-sama? Why would Sesshoumaru-sama come here after not patrolling this area for so long?" asked a curious Rin.

"A decade is not long, baka. As for this area, I do not recall where this place is or what it's called…it looks awfully familiar. Ahh! That's it! This is Inuyasha's Forest. I wonder why Sesshoumaru-same would bring us here. He despises that inferior half-breed," answered a puzzled Jaken. 

"I don't think Sesshoumaru-sama likes being here either. He's been tense ever since we left the castle. I wonder why? You don't suppose it had to do with that message that came after those youkai that came to the castle, do you Jaken-sama?" asked Rin as she observed Sesshoumaru as he stopped at a distance on a cliff and looked at something far away. 

"I don't know, you brat. Stop asking me. I suppose it might have something to do with it. I'm not sure," said an agitated Jaken. 

"But I thought Sesshoumaru-sama would have told you!" said a surprise Rin.

"Well, that doesn't mean he did. Now stop pestering me!" said Jaken, whose small pride was hurt when Rin reminded him that he was not important enough to know about Sesshoumaru's message that morning. 

Sesshoumaru had stopped for awhile now and his ears moved a bit, catching the two's conversation. _I'm surprised that they realized that yesterday morning has to deal with this trip to Inuyasha's Forest. As much as I hate going there, I don't trust anyone else to come here and speak to that mutt. It would have been so much easier if I could send Jaken or some other messenger there. At least then, I wouldn't have to speak with that brother of mine. _Sesshoumaru thought as he silently sighed in his mind. _I suppose it can't be helped. _Sesshoumaru looked behind him and watched as Rin and Jaken begin to bicker. Although his face remained the same, his eyes betrayed a small light of emotion. _Those two are impossible. Before Rin came, these trips would be so annoying and boring, what with the constant chattering of Jaken. At least Rin's voice is musical and angelic. Jaken's voice is so irratating. I wish I were back at the castle or at least patrolling another area, talking to that Inuyasha will be so degrading and a waste of time. If only that message hadn't arrived yesterday, I wouldn't be going there right now._ Sesshoumaru thought as he recalled that morning, the morning that would start this wheel of destiny.

__

The day before…

It was a beautiful morning. Sesshoumaru was standing next to the sakura tree when he detected someone nearby. _It is only Rin._ He thought with a smile. _She probably woke up this early to pick out the fresh flowers to put in her room._

"Ohayo, Sesshoumaru-sama!" greeted an energetic Rin, who was waving her hand and smiling at Sesshoumaru. She skipped her way to where he was and looked up at the tree.

Sesshoumaru merely nodded to her greeting and continued staring at the disappearing sakura leaves on the tree. He looked out of a corner of his eye at Rin. _She has certainly grown into a beautiful woman. Her personality is still the same, energetic and pure, such innocence for a creature at this age and time. If only she wasn't human, I could tell her how I feel. I wonder if she feels the same. Too bad nothing could ever come out of such a relationship though._ Sesshoumaru thought sadly. 

"Are you okay, Sesshoumaru-sama?" inquired a worried Rin, who had turned to look at him.

"I am fine, Rin," answered Sesshoumaru.

"That's good to hear Sesshoumaru-sama. Don't you think autumn is sad and beautiful at the same time? It's sad because flowers begin to die and leaves begin to fall off trees, but it's beautiful because of the way they die and fall. Don't you think so, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin as she looked back at the tree.

"Yes, I do believe it is," answered Sesshoumaru, who had never stopped looking up at the tree.

"Even though autumn is quite beautiful, I think spring and summer are the best because they have the most life and everything is so beautiful then. What's your favorite season or seasons, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin.

"Winter," replied Sesshoumaru.

"Winter's beautiful too, but it's also sad. Winter is very white, beautiful, and yet very deadly. Many things die in winter," said Rin.

"True, but winter is the test of survival. It shows who deserves to go on to see spring," replied Sesshoumaru.

"I hope I always get to past winter. I would love to be able to see each spring. Spring is so beautiful and it has so many flowers growing then too," said Rin as she imagined the season being spring.

_Not as beautiful as you_. Thought Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru and Rin stood together a little while longer under the tree in silence, admiring the falling sakura leaves. Suddenly a large yell could be heard coming from the castle…

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!" yelled Jaken as he ran around the castle and finally to the palace garden where he spotted Sesshoumaru with Rin.

"What is it Jaken?" asked Sesshoumaru as he glared at Jaken for disturbing the peace in his castle and ruining his time with Rin. Rin watched Jaken as he gulped under Sesshoumaru's glare. 

"There…are…*gulps* three youkai ladies requesting to speak to you, Ssesshhoummaru-sama," answered a very nervous Jaken.

"Three youkai ladies, Jaken-sama? Are they really pretty? What kind of youkai are they? Why are they here?" asked a very curious Rin.

"There is a kitsune, inu, and wolf youkai. I believe they are Kaoru of the North, Misao of the East, and Megumi of the South. And all three are very beautiful youkai. All are of noble youkai blood. Why they are here, this Jaken does not know," answered Jaken, who regained his confidence and turned back to his know-it-all self as soon as Rin began her parade of questions.

"Bring them to my royal meeting room, I will meet them there," commanded Sesshoumaru.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," replied Jaken before he scurried away. 

"Do you know why they're here, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin as she watched Jaken scurry away towards the castle. 

"I do not know, Rin," answered Sesshoumaru as he walked toward the castle as well. Rin walked up beside Sesshoumaru and they walked together toward the royal meeting room. As they walked towards the room, they passed by many youkai servants. All greeted Sesshoumaru with respect. They also greeted Rin, but with affection as well as respect. When Sesshoumaru and Rin finally entered the royal meeting room, the three youkai women were already there. The women stood up from their seats and bowed respectively at Sesshoumaru and Rin.

"Greetings, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands. Greetings Lady Rin. We are sorry to disturb you at such short notice," said one of the beautiful youkai. She had long dark raven hair that was tied up with a bright blue ribbon, her ears were pointed, and she had blue strips on the sides of her face. Her eyes were dark blue and she was wearing a bright kimono with many flowers. She had long, black, fluffy tail over one of her shoulders. Rin watched as this youkai presented herself and Rin's first impression of her was that she was a quiet and shy woman. 

"There is no reason to apologize, at least not yet, Lady Kaoru of the North. However, I would like to know why the daughters of the Youkai Lords of the North, South, and East would journey so far away from home to talk with me," said Sesshoumaru as he looked at each woman in the eye. 

One of the ladies, who looked a lot like Kaoru, walked up to Sesshoumaru. She was shorter than Kaoru, but not by much. She and Kaoru were be about 5'3, not much shorter than Rin who was 5'5. Unlike Kaoru, this woman's hair was tied in a long pigtail and she looked to be the youngest of the three, about Rin's age. Her eyes were the same color as Kaoru, but wider and with more innocence. She was dressed in something between a ninja's outfit and a kimono. Her tail was a lot shorter and less fluffy than Kaoru's tail. She looked straight up at Sesshoumaru, who was more than a foot taller than her, and told him, "Well, with all due respect, Sesshoumaru-sama. We're here because of that arranged marriage thing our fathers set up with you. We want to tell you that…" 

"Misao-chan! Please excuse her, Sesshoumaru-sama. She's still very outspoken and a bit wild," said the one called Kaoru. Rin watched as Kaoru tried to excuse Misao's audaciousness. _This is very interesting and yet disturbing at the same time. Did that wolf youkai just say "arranged marriage?" I hope that I'm hearing this wrong. Not that I don't want Sesshoumaru to marry and have kids or anything. I was just hoping that that person would be me. Of course, that would be impossible considering I'm human and he's a youkai. Still, it doesn't hurt to hope. _Rin thought as she now watched Kaoru scolding Misao for her audaciousness. Rin then noticed that the third youkai, who had not said anything at all yet, slowly walked up to Sesshoumaru and ask, "If I may speak Sesshoumaru-sama. I would like to say that we're here to tell you that we no longer wish to continue with the arranged marriage deal. We hope that you will not be mad or anything, but we have our reasons not to marry you. Our fathers know about this, but they did not want to confront this with you yet. However, we thought it would be best if we tell you this as soon as possible."

"So your fathers do not know that you are here, Lady Megumi of the South," asked an emotionless Sesshoumaru.

"No, they do not know. They had hoped to tell you this later in a more subtle way. However, we three believed it was best if we told you this ourselves, considering one of us was suppose to be your bride," answered a very calm Megumi. Rin watched, as Sesshoumaru's face remained emotionless. However she knew that Sesshoumaru was in deep thought by the slight changes of emotions in his eyes. Rin then looked at Kaoru and Misao. The two women were both staring at Megumi and were surprised at what she had just said. Megumi looked at the two surprised youkai women and then looked back at Sesshoumaru. Megumi had long black hair and unlike the other two, her hair was let down. Her eyes were black and her skin was pale unlike the healthy, peachy glow of the other two youkai. The stripes on the sides of her face were black and her tail resembled that of Sesshoumaru's tail except that hers was black and not white. Her tail was hung over one shoulder like Kaoru's tail; Misao's tail was too short to be hung over a shoulder. The three youkai women as well as Rin watched and waited anxiously for Sesshoumaru's response.

"Though I am not interested in marriage at this point, I am curious to know why you three ladies would want to break an over 200 year old arrangement by our fathers," said Sesshoumaru. Rin felt relieved when she heard that he wasn't interested in marriage yet. However, she couldn't help wonder if he wanted to marry one of these three beautiful youkai women. Her heart gave a painful squeeze when she thought about that. She looked at the three women and wondered why anyone would refuse marrying Sesshoumaru; she wouldn't if she were in their places.

"I don't mean to offend you or anything Sesshoumaru, but is it wise to have this human girl here to listen to this conversation. No offense intended Lady Rin, but this is an arrangement made over 200 years ago and well I'm not sure if you would want to listen…" asked an unsure Kaoru.

Sesshoumaru looked at Rin and then said, "Rin."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," answered a nervous Rin.

"Do you wish to remain here to listen to this conversation?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama," answered a happy Rin. Rin's eyes were filled with happiness as she looked at Sesshoumaru and Sesshoumaru couldn't help, but feel happier himself as he watched her. He watched Rin for a few moments before turning back to the three women, who had watched that short moment between the two. Sesshoumaru then sat down and the three women as well as Rin sat down after him.

To Rin's surprise, it was Misao who explained their circumstance. She began by shifting into a comfortable position on the chair before she began saying, "As you know Sesshoumaru, our fathers and your father made an agreement when we were born. Your father agreed that when you reached the marriageable age of 200 years or more, that you would choose one of us three to become your bride. Now this agreement was made so that our lands could unite and prosper. The western territory is the largest of the four territories; its size is equal to the three other territories combined. Our fathers and your father had hoped that by you marrying one of us, and after that our children marrying into the other territories, that one day the four territories would be one. However our fathers and yours were unusual youkai. They also wanted us to know one and other. Your father, in particular, wanted you to know each of us three personally so that one day you would be able to chose amongst us three. Therefore we have grown up together. It is only these half a century that we have not seen each other. However it has been these past decades that these have really changed Sesshoumaru. None of us three wish to continue with this agreement. We mean no offense, but none of us want to marry you. And we think that you don't want to marry any of us. Our fathers also agreed that you were the only one who could break this agreement if you did not wish to marry any of us. So let's just forget about this arranged marriage thing, ok?"

"Although it is true that I do not wish to marry any of you. I would still like to know the real reason behind breaking the agreement," commented Sesshoumaru. Rin watched the three women as they blushed. _I guess he remembers them better than they remember him._

"Actually Sesshoumaru…the real reason we don't want to marry you…is that well…"started a stammering Kaoru.

"What she's trying to say Sesshoumaru is that all three of us have fallen in love and we wish to marry them instead of you," answered Megumi after her blush had faded.

"Marry them? Who are _them_?" asked a curious Sesshoumaru.

"You remember our royal bodyguards? Sanosuke, Kenshin, and Aoshi?" asked Megumi back to Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru merely nodded before Megumi continued, "Well, I want to marry my guard Sanosuke and Kaoru wants to marry her guard Kenshin. And Misao, of course, wants to marry her guard Aoshi."

"I did not think that you would want to marry Sanosuke, Megumi. The last I remember of you two were that you two were always bickering over something or another. Kaoru and Misao, I am not surprised. Very well, you three are excused from the agreement. I don't want an unhappy bride who is in love with another youkai," answered a calm Sesshoumaru. The three youkai stared at Sesshoumaru in amazement; they were surprised on how simple the whole thing was. Rin was just happy at the thought that Sesshomaru had allowed these three youkai to be with their love. _If only I could be with mines._ Thought Rin.

"I suggest you three to head back home before your fathers find out. I will send a notice to your fathers about breaking the arrangement. I will explain the details in the letters," said Sesshoumaru. The three women could only nod, surprised at their good fortune. Suddenly, one of the women, Kaoru, snapped out of her happiness and asked Sesshoumaru, "Excuse me Sesshoumaru, but if I remember correctly…is it not required for the youkai lord of the western lands to have an heir before he reached the age of 300 years?"

"That is true, Kaoru," answered Sesshoumaru. Rin, who had been happy only a moment before, stared at Kaoru and Sesshoumaru in shock. "However," continued Sesshoumaru, "I do not need to have a mate to accomplish that. The heir just needs to have the royal blood running through him and be a full-blooded youkai."

"And where would you find a youkai like that?" asked a curious Misao. The other two youkai women stared questioningly at Sesshoumaru as well. Rin looked at the three women and then at Sesshoumaru. She began to think. _Who could be Sesshoumaru's heir? The only person I know who is related to Sesshoumaru is…Inuyasha! But Inuyasha's a hanyou, a half-demon, he couldn't be the heir unless…wait a moment! Inuyasha used the restored Shikon no tama to become a full-blooded youkai after the final battle with Naraku. He fits the heir description perfectly, but why him?_ Thought a puzzled Rin. 

"It's Inuyasha, isn't it Sesshoumaru-sama? But why Inuyasha?" asked a bewildered Rin.

"Because Rin, I do not wish to marry yet. With Inuyasha as my heir, I am in no rush to find a mate and produce an heir," replied Sesshoumaru. Sessshoumaru watched as Rin's face was filled with different emotions: confusion, thoughtfulness, and sadness._ Sadness huh? No need to fret Rin. I do not plan to marry anyone, but you. With Inuyasha as my heir, I can find a way to make you my mate, Rin. _Thought Sesshoumaru. He looked at Rin and got lost in her warm, affectionate eyes. He stared at her as if she was the only creature existing in the room. Rin looked at Sesshoumaru and saw a weird look in his eyes. She could not figure out what his eyes were saying. As she looked into his eyes, trying to decipher its meaning, she got lost in their amber hues. All she could then think about was Sesshoumaru and his beautiful eyes. The two people, the youkai and the human, stared at each other with love without realizing that there were other people in the room.

The three female youkai watched Sesshoumaru and Rin exchange their words and looks. They looked at each other and then looked back at the two. They then realized the true meaning of Sesshoumaru's heir plan. _That sly dog. He fell in love. The block of ice around his heart actually got melted and by a human to boot!_ Thought Misao. _I would never have thought he'll fall for a human. I never would have thought that it was even possible for him to fall in love at all._ Thought Kaoru. _We better keep this a secret. A union between a human and a youkai lord is forbidden unless it's a second marriage and an heir is already produced from the first marriage. If only Rin was a youkai. I hope she's ready for the hardships ahead. Perhaps Sesshoumaru has a plan going, I sure hope he does._ Thought Megumi. The three youkai women looked at the youkai lord and the human. They then stood up from their chairs. This immediately caught the attention of the couple, who then realized that they have been staring at each other the whole time. They turned towards the three women. Rin was blushing while Sesshoumaru merely remained his calm cold facade. 

"If we may excuse ourselves Sesshoumaru. We would like to head back to our respective homes and inform our fathers about your decision. You are going to write and send those letters to our fathers, right?" asked Kaoru. 

"Of course," answered Sesshoumaru as the three women began to leave the room. Suddenly, as if something important just struck her, Kaoru stopped. The other two youkai turned to look at Kaoru in puzzlement as she ran up to Sesshoumaru and said, "There's something you should know Sesshoumaru. If you're announcing your heir during that ball two weeks from now, which I think you are probably going to do, it's only fair that I should warn you that Tomoe is going to be there."

"That's right, that bitch is going to be there. She expects to be your mate. She keeps bragging on and on about how beautiful she is and how she'll make a great youkai mate for you. She makes me sick. And to think while she was bragging about all that, she was all over Kenshin, right Kaoru?" asked Misao as she too walked back towards Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, that's right. The way she was all over my Kenshin was downright wrong and made her look like a slut," replied an angry Kaoru.

"That bitch is a slut. You better be careful Sesshoumaru. She's not going to be happy when you announce your heir instead of your future mate at that ball. Any person you want to be your mate should watch their back. That conniving slut is probably going to try to kill her. Heck, she tried to kill us," said Misao.

"She tried to kill you?!" exclaimed a shocked and innocent Rin.

"Yes she did. All of us were engaged to Sesshoumaru. Lucky for us though, that we have very good bodyguards," explained Megumi.

"I remember Tomoe; she was that little poodle youkai that always stalked us when we were young. She's harmless. I'm always on my guard so my future mate will be fine. There is no need to worry," commented Sesshoumaru.

"Well that was then and this is now. She's changed into this slutty-looking, conniving bitch who will go to any lengths to get what she wants…and she wants you Sesshoumaru, so be careful," warned Megumi. Sesshoumaru merely nodded, telling them that he will be careful. Although the three women were not completely satisfied with his lack of concern, nonetheless they had no choice but to trust his judgement. The three women bowed a bit before leaving the room. 

Sesshoumaru then stood up from his chair and turned to look at Rin who was watching the retreating women in amazement and wonder. _So, that's how royal youkai females are like. I wonder who this Tomoe is that got them so riled up. I wonder why she would try to kill such nice people. _Thought Rin as she stood up from her seat. Rin then snapped out of her thoughts to turn to look at Sesshoumaru. "I thought that was a very interesting meeting. What do you think of it, Sesshoumaru-sama?" commented Rin.

"It was quite…unexpected, but quite intriguing. Shall we continue our conversation outside, Rin?" asked Sesshoumaru as he looked outside and wondered what Rin had been thinking about as she watched the three youkai women leave. 

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama," answered Rin. As the two started walking outside, back to the garden, a little racoon youkai ran up to Sesshoumaru. The racoon stopped in front of Sesshoumaru and bowed before saying, "Sesshoumaru-sama, an urgent message for you from the youkai of Inuyasha's Forest." Sesshoumaru took the letter and opened it. Rin watched as Sesshoumaru's eyes went from a bright happy gold to dark menacing amber. _This is definitely not good_, Rin thought. Sesshoumaru then handed the letter back to the racoon and said, "Burn it and tell Jaken to start packing. We're heading out tomorrow." Sesshoumaru then walked ahead and Rin followed him. 

As the two walked, Rin began to worry about what the letter was about. She touched Sesshoumaru's arm and he turned his head to look at her. "Are you alright, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked a concerned Rin.

"I am fine, Rin. You do not need to worry about it. However you should start packing as well," commented Sesshoumaru.

"I will do that now, Sesshoumaru-sama," said Rin before she stopped and headed toward her room. Sesshoumaru stared sadly as Rin walked away. _There goes my day. And here I planned to spend the day with her. Stupid letter. _Thought Sesshoumaru. 

__

To Sesshoumaru-sama, Youkai Lord of the West:

We regretfully inform you that your chosen heir, Inuyasha, refuses to be your heir. He claims that you are in no need of an heir and that he is "busy" for the next 500 years or so. He also wishes to inform you that you should ask him the next time before assuming anything. He claims to not want to be a pawn in your political affairs.

-Your Humble Youkai Servants


	3. A Family Reunion

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Author's Note: Yeah…I'm um…trying to figure out this formatting thing. Please excuse the bad spelling and grammar. As for the Rurouni Kenshin characters…I totally love that anime, so I'm just using their names, personality, and looks. It's not really a crossover, kind of, but not really.

**__**

*Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized. *

**__**

Chapter 2: A Family Reunion 

Inuyasha's Forest…

Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Jaken have been traveling for three days since that message arrived in the castle. They have been traveling with very little rest breaks and frankly, Rin was very tired of it. She had only 3 hours of sleep everyday since they left the castle and had only one small 10 minute resting break a day. Any other human in her position would have died or be too tired to go on. However since Rin was use to traveling a lot, considering she's traveling with three youkai, and very stubborn, Rin had managed to keep up with Sesshoumaru so far. _However, I am going to faint if we don't stop soon._ Thought a very tired Rin.

Sesshoumaru glanced behind him to check how the others were faring. He looked at Rin and finally noticed how tired she was. He saw how much she was sweating and how she was determined to keep up with him. He then glanced at Jaken and Ah-Uh, who looked very tired as well. _Jaken and Ah-Uh are as tired as Rin, yet she is able to keep up despite the fact that the other two are youkai and she is human. She would be a very powerful youkai. _Thought Sesshoumaru. As Sesshoumaru was thinking about how Rin would look as a youkai, Rin was starting to stumble a lot. Her eyes started to gloss over and suddenly she fell. Jaken and Ah-Uh quickly stopped. Jaken ran to Rin's side and shook her while Ah-Uh nuzzled her.

"Rin, are you ok? Speak to Jaken, Rin. Rin? Rin? Rin?! Wake up Rin!" screamed a very concerned Jaken, who had grown fond of the human over the years despite their constant bickering. 

Upon hearing Jaken's screaming, Sesshoumaru snapped out of his thoughts and looked to where the screaming was from. He noticed Rin on the ground and Jaken screaming. He quickly ran to where Rin was and held her in his arms.

"What happened to Rin, Jaken?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"I think she fainted from exhaustion, Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin is human and requires more rest and sleep than we youkai do. At the pace we have been traveling, it has been very hard for her as well as for Ah-Uh and me, and we are both youkai unlike Rin, who is human," answered Jaken as he looked at Rin, concerned about her health. 

Sesshoumaru looked at the exhausted Rin, who was sweating and breathing very quickly. He ordered Jaken and Ah-Uh to get cold water. When the two youkai left, Sesshoumaru carried Rin to a clearing and a shady place under a very large tree. He used a small cloth to soak up her sweat. After that, he just stared at her while touching her hair. He looked at Rin and his eyes were filled with regret. He regretted not taking better care of Rin and not checking up on her. _I'm so sorry Rin._ He thought. _I should have been more aware of your health. With your energy and personality, I tend to forget you are human. I was so in a hurry to go meet Inuyasha and get this over with, that I forgot how fragile you are. Although you are unaware of how I feel, you are everything to me Rin and I can not bear the thought of ever losing you. I promise, from now on, to be more careful of your well being. _

As Sesshoumaru made that silent and mental promise, Rin slowly stirred and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw were Sesshoumaru's eyes. His amber eyes were filled with concern and regret. Sesshoumaru had immediately noticed Rin's stirring and looked at her. 

"Are you alright, Rin?" asked a concerned Sesshoumaru.

"I'm fine, just tired, Sesshoumaru-sama," answered an exhausted Rin.

"I'm sorry to drive you at such a hard pace. I should have been more aware that you were getting too tired," said Sesshoumaru. Rin just stared at Sesshoumaru. She was quite shocked that Sesshoumaru had just apologized to her aloud. Rin then noticed Sesshoumaru staring back at her questionably. She blushed and looked behind Sesshoumaru. She then noticed Jaken and Ah-Uh walking towards them with the water. Seeing Rin look at something behind him, Sesshoumaru looked behind him and noticed the two as well.

"Jaken and Ah-Uh are back, but where did they go?" asked Rin as she watched the two walk more quickly towards them.

"I told them to fetch some water," answered Sesshoumaru. By the time Sesshoumaru answered Rin's question, Jaken and Ah-Uh were back. Jaken handed the water to Sesshoumaru, who then handed it to Rin. Rin looked confused at first when she was given the water, but when she looked back at the concerned looks of the three youkai, she drank some of the water before offering it them. 

After they had each finished drinking some of the water, Sesshoumaru commanded that they would rest at that spot for the rest of the day. Sesshoumaru and Rin were sitting underneath the tree while Jaken and Ah-Uh sat underneath a different tree. Rin was sleeping against Sesshoumaru and somewhat cuddling up to his soft tail while Jaken was sleeping against a sleeping Ah-Uh. Sesshoumaru was the only one of them awake and as the other three rested, he observed his surroundings. As he watched, he picked up many scents. Suddenly he picked up a very distinct scent heading their way, a scent he was very familiar with, _Inuyasha's._

A full-blooded inu-youkai was running through the forest at an impossible speed. He was running so fast, that any person or youkai could barely see a blur of white flash by. Unlike Sesshoumaru, this inu-youkai had long pure white hair and his amber eyes were darker. The stripes on the side of his face were dark violet compared to Sesshoumaru's purple stripes. Instead of pointed ears at the sides, this youkai had retained his white doggy ears on top of his head. There was no mark of any kind of this youkai's forehead and he wore a red fire rat kimono-like clothing. Instead of wearing a bead necklace like he wore in the past, this youkai wore a gold locket. Inside the locket was a very precious picture, a reminder of his love. A sword could be seen at the side of his waist. When this creature had wished to become a full-blooded youkai, his sword had changed as well, so that he would be able to use it even without his human blood. This youkai was none other than Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru's famous half brother. Inuyasha had been running straight at Sesshoumaru's direction ever since he picked up Sesshoumaru's scent. He had wondered upon why Sesshoumaru was there and had decided to ask Sesshoumaru himself. _I hope it's not about that whole "heir" thing. He should ask people before suddenly appointing them to be certain positions in his political game. _He thought grumpily. 

As Inuyasha got closer and closer to Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha finally noticed the scents of the human and other two youkai with him. In his anger and impulsiveness, he had forgotten about the other people in his traveling group. _Damn._ He thought. _I don't want to hurt anybody if this family union gets ugly._

When Inuyasha arrived to the clearing, he noticed everyone asleep except for Sesshoumaru. He was about to shout Sesshoumaru's name and ask about why they were here, when Sesshoumaru glared at him to be silent. Inuyasha silently walked up to Sesshoumaru and saw Rin snuggling up to Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha grinned at this while Sesshoumaru continued to glare.

"I see she's still with you Sesshoumaru. I thought by now you would have gotten rid of her, considering how much you despise the human race, but I see how comfortable you two are. She's quite attached to you, I see," silently teased Inuyasha.

"Shut up Inuyasha. I have more important matters to discuss besides your usual insults," an annoyed Sesshoumaru said silently. 

"Then, by a means, let's talk dear brother. However, let us discuss this somewhere else, so that we do not disturb their sleeping. Speaking of which, why are they sleeping? It's the middle of the day and it's weird that they haven't noticed or heard me," asked Inuyasha.

"They're very tired," answered Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru was about to stand up and leave with Inuyasha to talk, when he realized that Rin really was attached to him. Each time he tried to stand up, Rin would grab his tail and pull him down. Inuyasha watched Sesshoumaru silently struggle with Rin and couldn't help but laugh. He slapped his hand over his mouth to prevent waking up the others. He continued to silently laugh until Sesshoumaru stopped and glared at him. 

"You think this is funny, Inuyasha?" snapped a frustrated and angry Sesshoumaru. 

"Yes, I think it's very funny," answered Inuyasha, who tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't and he ended up laughing very hard. Luckily, Rin and the others were so exhausted that they couldn't hear him. Sesshoumaru continued glaring at Inuyasha. After a few moments, when his glare had finally taken its effect on Inuyasha, did Sesshoumaru pay attention to his current problem of being unable to move without waking up Rin. After thinking for a few seconds, he came up with a solution. He gently scooped up Rin and walked towards Jaken and Ah-Uh. He lifted Jaken off of Ah-Uh and placed him against the tree. He then laid Rin down against Ah-Uh where Jaken had slept before Sesshoumaru lifted him. After Sesshoumaru was down rearranging his sleeping companions, he turned towards Inuyasha.

"Let us go now," commanded Sesshoumaru before he started lifting himself into the sky and flew. Inuyasha lifted himself into the sky himself and flew after Sesshoumaru. 

"Do you think it's alright to just leave them there, Sesshoumaru?" asked a concerned Inuyasha as he looked back at Sesshoumaru's sleeping companions.

"They will be fine. Once they wake up, they would notice your scent and would realize what has happened. They are not like your pathetic companions; they can defend themselves properly," answered a calm Sesshoumaru.

"My companions are not pathetic," retorted an insulted Inuyasha.

"Then which one of us had more companions being taken hostage or be used by Naraku?" replied Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha just shut up after that reply. Sesshoumaru just smirked at his quietness before landing in another clearing below. Inuyasha just followed him.

"So why are you here in my forest, Sesshoumaru? And don't say because you missed me and wanted to check up on your dear little brother 'cause we both know that that's a piece of crap," asked Inuyasha after the two had landed in the clearing. Sesshoumaru just stood in front of Inuyasha and appeared to be pondering about Inuyasha's question. After a few moments, he finally answered.

"Before I answer that question, Inuyasha. I need to ask you a few questions. What exactly happened in the final battle against Naraku?" asked Sesshoumaru as he looked straight at Inuyasha, so he could sense if Inuyasha was lying or not. 

"The battle with Naraku? Why are you asking this Sesshoumaru? You were there as well. You saw everything," asked a surprised Inuyasha. 

"I may have saw everything, but I didn't understand everything. After you and I destroyed Naraku with our swords, I saw you run back and cradle that dead mate of yours. You were crying so pathetically. So pathetic in fact that I had to come towards you two and bring her back to life with Tensuaiga so that you would stop shaming our royal blood with your tears. After I did that, I recall a sudden burst of light coming from the purified Shikon no tama, the jewel your mate had died to purify, and some miko appearing. She talked to you, but for some reason I couldn't hear the conversation. What I want to know is what that conversation was about, Inuyasha, especially since you suddenly turned into a full-blooded youkai during it," answered Sesshoumaru. 

"Why would you want to know that, Sesshoumaru?" retorted Inuyasha.

"It's important and relevant to why I am here, Inuyasha," answered an exasperated Sesshoumaru.

"Ok, fine. When that miko came out, she told me she would grant each of us one wish, which strangely enough includes you as well Sesshoumaru. However, the wish she will grant has to be come from deep within our hearts; it has to be the one thing we truly desire, something we would want for all of eternity. It doesn't matter if we voice the wish aloud as long as we know what that wish is. That miko can read our minds. Once she sees our true desire, she'll grant it. She noticed that my wish as well as Kagome's was to be together forever. She granted our wish by transforming me into a full-blooded youkai-"

"But what does transforming you into a full-blooded youkai have to do with that wish?" asked a curious Sesshoumaru.

"As I was saying, before a certain someone interrupted, she transformed me and then explained the situation to us. She told us that since we were from two different timelines that we couldn't be together right now. However, she said, we could be together later. Of course, we were confused about it all, but then she continued explaining. She said that by transforming me into a full-blooded youkai, I could live long enough to see and make Kagome my mate in 500 years. She then transformed Tetsuaiga so that it could still work despite me not having any human blood. She explained that the reason she transformed Tetsuaiga was so that I had a better chance of surviving the 500 years to see Kagome. That miko then did something to Kagome and told us that when we mate, Kagome would be able to live as long as I will. After that, she warned us that Kagome could only remain in this time for another 24 hours before it would be time for her to depart for her time and leave this time behind forever," explained Inuyasha as he stared off at a distance, remembering that day.

"You said something about a wish?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, she said that she will grant one wish to each person who participated in the fight against Naraku. Since you were there to fight him, you get a wish, Sesshoumaru," answered Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru just remained silent after Inuyasha's reply. He pondered about that wish. _I could use that wish to make Rin my mate. I can wish her to a full-blooded youkai so that we can together, but I don't know if she feels the same about me though. _Thought Sesshoumaru.

"Now you were going to explain why you're here…" said Inuyasha, waiting for Sesshoumaru's explanation. 

"I'm here to find out why you don't want to be my heir," answered Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha sighed at that answer.

"I just had a feeling that that was the reason why you were here. I told your minions. Didn't they said you my reasons?" asked Inuyasha.

"They did, but I wished to hear your reasons in person," replied a calm Sesshoumaru.

"Like I told them, I don't want to be part of your little political plans Sesshoumaru. I will NOT be your political pawn and plus, why do you want ME to be YOUR heir? It's true that we don't hate each other as much as we use to when we were trying to kill the other. Now we just dislike each other and respect each other in a way, but why give me the second most powerful position in the western lands?" asked a very puzzled and suspicious Inuyasha. 

"Do you know the laws of inheritance in the western lands decreed by our father, Inuyasha?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"A little, Myouji-jiji told me a bit. Only a full-blooded youkai with the royal blood can inherit the western lands, but what does that have to do with this? Despite the fact that I'm now a full-blooded youkai, why me?" asked a still puzzled Inuyasha.

"Before you became a full-blooded youkai, Inuyasha, I was the only royal full-blooded youkai. Father wanted to insure that our family line would keep his beloved western territory. He wanted me to start looking for a female full-blooded youkai to be my mate when I was 200 years or older. He decreed that I was to have a royal heir by the time I was 300 years so that our family line will continue," explained Sesshoumaru.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to be your heir so that you don't have to choose a mate and get a child right away. I will not be your pawn Sesshoumaru!" declared an angry Inuyasha.

"You do not understand Inuyasha. As you know an inu-youkai mates for life and we have long lives Inuyasha. I do not wish to choose a horrible mate I can not stand for eternity. Also, there are very few full-blooded female youkai. We males outnumber females at least 3 to 1. A hundred years will not be enough time for me to find the perfect mate," explained Sesshoumaru. 

"So I'm suppose to be your heir until you find your mate. That still makes me a pawn. I'm only your heir so that I can help stall you some time! I refuse to be your heir. I refuse to be a pawn for you. You're using me like Naraku used me once!" yelled a very angry Inuyasha.

"I am NOT like Naraku, Inuyasha," hissed an equally angry Sesshoumaru, "It's true I have some selfish reasons for you to be my heir. It's not that I need the time to find my perfect mate; I already found her. I just need the time to find a way to make her my mate."

"Make her your mate. Well as long as she's a full-blooded youkai than she has no problem-"

"There's the problem right there, baka. She isn't a full-blooded youkai, she's not even a hanyou like you were!" exclaimed a pissed off Sesshoumaru.

"Then she's human? Who is this person?" asked a curious and surprised Inuyasha, for he had never would have thought or even consider that Sesshoumaru would have already chosen a mate especially a human one considering how much he hated them.

"Rin…" muttered Sesshoumaru, so quietly that even Inuyasha with his inu senses had trouble hearing it.

"YOUR WARD?! I mean she's beautiful and all, but RIN?!" exclaimed a surprised Inuyasha.

"I know you're surprised Inuyasha, but-" started Sesshoumaru.

"Surprised?! I'm more than just surprised, I'm shocked. This is coming from Sesshoumaru, Youkai Lord of the Great Western Lands, who claimed to hate all humans. And now he wants one for a mate," replied Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru just remained silent as Inuyasha continued; "You've taken care of Rin for how long now, a little more than a decade I think. You've watched her grow from a little kid to a young beautiful woman and now you want her for your mate. Isn't that gross? I mean that's like wanting to marry one of your kids."

"You're one to talk Inuyasha. By the time you meet Kagome again, you'll be what…a couple centuries older than her? Not to mention you'll probably want to watch her grow up as well so you know when to meet her without ruining this timeline. And plus, I never loved Rin as one of my children. I just always loved her, the soul mate kind. Yes, even when she was a child. I just never had any of those kind of _urges_ when she was that young. I'm not that disgraceful or disgusting like some youkai who like to do it with children, so don't you dare accuse me of being one," hissed an insulted Sesshoumaru, "Now that you're a youkai, you should learn that age does not matter when you choose a mate especially when you're a youkai." 

"I'm sorry if I offended you or anything Sesshoumaru, I was just surprised that's all. So how are you going to get Rin to be your mate if she's human and you can only mate with a full-blooded youkai?" asked Inuyasha.

"That's where you come in Inuyasha. I need you to be my heir until I can find a way to either go around that decree or make Rin a full-blooded youkai. I'm considering that miko's wish to make her one," answered Sesshoumaru.

"Well that wish won't work unless Rin is in love with you as well and agrees with it," replied Inuyasha.

"That's why I'm considering that wish. I'll only wish that wish only if Rin agrees with it and wants to be my mate. I don't want to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. So, do you agree to be my heir until then, Inuyasha?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"I agree, but only until you get a mate and a proper heir. I don't want to your puppet. Do I have to be do anything while I'm your heir?" asked Inuyasha.

"You just have to be educated in the laws, customs, and history of youkai. And go with me to important meetings as well as patrolling the western lands. It'll give you something to do for the next 500 years or so," replied a calm Sesshoumaru.

"That's it?! Great, that sounds like so much fun," retorted a sarcastic Inuyasha.

"So far, you just have to attend the ball that's two weeks from now. During that event, I plan to announce to the other youkai lords about you being my heir. This ball is suppose to be when I announce who my mate is, but I decided to announce you as my heir instead, so you HAVE to attend Inuyasha. Do you get it through your thick skull? You MUST attend. Better yet, you should come back to the castle with us, that way you'll have time be educated in how to be a proper youkai before the ball. That way you won't disgrace out family name," said Sesshoumaru.

"A proper youkai?! What's wrong with me now?" exclaimed an insulted Inuyasha as he looked at himself, his clothes and accessories.

"Your behavior is in dire need of improvement. You retain too much of the inu side of you," commented Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha just grunted and growled, "Whatever."

"Let's head back now then Inuyasha," said Sesshoumaru, who was content now that Inuyasha had agreed to be his heir.

"Fine, but can we stop by the village for awhile. I wish to inform them where I am going," replied Inuyasha.

"Very well. I suppose we can stay there for awhile. Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Uh are in need of some rest anyway," commented a thoughtful Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha just nodded in agreement and the two flew off back to the other clearing to pick up Sesshoumaru's companions.


	4. Long time no see

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Author's Notes: Here's the next chapter as requested. I know I don't have that many reviews, but I don't really care. The ones I have are very kind and encouraging. Thank you! I started writing this fanfic as a birthday present to my friend. I'm still writing it and she receives the first hard copy of it each time I'm done with a chapter. Obviously the chapters I will put her will come at a slower pace so don't expect another chapter for at least a couple days or weeks.

*Disclaimer: **Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized. ***

__

Chapter 3: Long time no see

Rin woke up to the smell of fresh grass and water. As soon as she woke up, she knew that Sesshoumaru was not there, for Sesshoumaru did not smell like fresh grass or water. She surveyed her surroundings and wondered where her Sesshoumaru-sama was. She then looked at her sleeping companions, Ah-Uh who smelled like grass and Jaken who smelled like water and lily pads. She could barely smell Sesshoumaru's expensive scent of eucalyptus and spearmint. His scent was exquisite, for he bought the eucalyptus leaves and spearmint leaves from overseas ever since his father gave some to him on his 25th birthday. Her own scent was not as expensive, but just as exquisite for she always smelled like flowers. As Rin observed her surroundings, she smelled a hint of sandalwood. _If I didn't know any better, I would think this smells like Inuyasha._ Thought Rin. She quickly woke up Jaken and Ah-Uh. 

"What is it brat?" asked a groggy and grouchy Jaken. 

"I think Inuyasha was here and that Sesshoumaru went with him somewhere. Don't you think so, Jaken-sama? I mean, I think Inuyasha's scent lingers around here," explained Rin. Jaken and Ah-Uh both sniffed the area. After sniffing for a few brief seconds, they both looked startled.

"You are right, Rin. Inuyasha was here, but why is it that Ah-Uh and I could not detect him? We are youkai and have a much better sense of smell than you humans," wondered a puzzled Jaken.

"Perhaps that is because we are all so tired, Jaken-sama. I don't think we're in any danger though or else Sesshoumaru-sama wouldn't have just left us here alone. He must have gone with Inuyasha to talk or fight. Don't you agree, Jaken-sama?" asked Rin.

"You're probably correct Rin. But why would Sesshoumaru-sama leave behind his trusted Jaken!?" complained an unhappy Jaken. Rin merely looked away from Jaken, as he muttered about how much more important he was than Rin, when she noticed two small dots coming their way.

"Jaken-sama! Jaken-sama! I think they're coming back now!" exclaimed an excited Rin. Jaken instantly ceased his muttering and looked at the direction where Rin was looking. He saw what Rin saw… two incoming shapes in the sky. One appeared to be a calm, flowing cloud; the other appeared to be a small little white tornado/cloud. As the two shapes became larger and closer, the faces of the two figures slowly emerged. When the two royal inu-youkai landed in the clearing, an excited Rin ran up to Sesshoumaru and hugged him. A surprised and shocked Jaken could only drop his jaw while a smirking Inuyasha could only watch the scene in front of him with amusement. When Rin realized what she was doing, she immediately stopped hugging Sesshoumaru and stepped back.

"Gomen-nasai Sesshoumaru-sama. I forgot my place, but I was just so excited and happy that you came back. When I woke up, you were not there so I kind of panicked even though Jaken and Ah-Uh were there with me," apologized Rin as she slightly bowed her head. Sesshoumaru could only look at her, for he was still kind of surprised by what she had done. He was not mad at all at Rin; in fact, he wished she had not stopped hugging him. He enjoyed her warm embrace and flowery scent. As the shock of her hug faded, he suddenly realized the meaning of the hug. Yet, how was he going to phrase his response to her apology without forbidding future embraces and yet ensuring his dignity?

"We should get going now," replied Sesshoumaru as he started walking towards Inuyasha's home. Rin, Jaken, and Ah-uh instantly followed behind. Inuyasha merely shook his head and grinned at Sesshoumaru's response to Rin's apology before he walked after them. 

__

Inuyasha's Village

"Meow, meow…meeoooarr," meowed a small two-tailed cat youkai. 

"What is it, Kirara?" asked a young kitsune youkai. The kawaii kitsune had long orange-red hair tied in a ponytail with a blue ribbon. He wore a large blue shirt with sky blue triangles and large navy blue pants. He also had one of the fluffiest foxtails seen in the land and little fox feet. His eyes were grass green and he had little pointed ears. This youkai, now, was holding the youkai cat that was meowing off at a distance. They were sitting on the fence overlooking Inuyasha's Forest when they noticed a few figures coming out of the forest.

"Oye! Sango! Miroku! Kohaku! I think Inuyasha's back and he has some company with him!" shouted the kitsune as he looked at the distance. 

"Who's with him, Shippou-chan?" asked a beautiful young woman with long, black, yet slightly tied up hair. The woman had dark brown eyes and she appeared to have maroon eyeshadow on. She was dressed in a bright flowery kimono and was holding the hand of a 10-year-old girl with black hair, violet eyes, and maroon eyelids.

"I wish you would stop calling me Shippou-chan, Sango, I'm too old to be called that," replied Shippou. Sango merely glared at him before he continued on to answer her question, "The wind is carrying their scent in this direction so I can only rely on my sight right now, but if I didn't know any better, I would think it's Sesshoumaru. I think Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Uh are with him as well, but why would they be here, Sango?" 

"I can't imagine why Shippou, but I think we better tell Miroku and Kohaku just the same," replied Sango. She then turned to her eldest child and said, "Sakura-chan, can you please tell your daddy and Uncle Kohaku that we have some company and that mommy needs them here right away?"

"Hai," exclaimed the little girl in a pink kimono before she dashed off with her errand. 

"I don't think Sesshoumaru is here to start a fight, Sango," remarked Shippou as he watched Sakura run off.

"I don't think so either, but I would prefer having Miroku and Kohaku to be here when they arrive," responded Sango.

"Years of motherhood and Miroku must have dulled your youkai exterminator skills and made you more dependent on him," said Shippou without thinking. He instantly felt something hit his head before he fell on the floor, his eyes all swirly. An insulted and angry Sango stood behind him with her huge boomerang she had dubbed Hiraikotsu. 

"I see that Shippou-chan has picked up another of Inuyasha's bad habit, speaking without thinking," remarked a man with black hair and a small pigtail on the back of his neck. He wore a dark violet kimono and wore small gold earrings. His eyes were violet and he had the boyish look as well as boyish charm about him. The man appeared to be some sort of Buddhist monk because he carried a long, golden staff with large sharp rings. He walked up to Sango and stood besides her. "Sakura-chan told me that you needed me. Who's coming here with Inuyasha?"

"Shippou said that it's Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Uh. I can't tell from this distance though, so we'll have to take his words. What should we do, Miroku?" asked Sango as she stared at the small figures walking their way.

"I think we should prepare for their arrival by cooking dinner. They must be starving. If Inuyasha is showing them the way, they're probably not here to harm anyone especially if Rin is with Sesshoumaru. You know how she's so against violence and how attached Sesshoumaru is to her, even though he'll never admit that," answered Miroku.

"I guess so…" said Sango. Miroku gently kissed her forehead and said, "Don't worry too much about it Sango. Let's go prepare for their arrival."

As the couple walked back into the village, a young man ran in front of them. He wore a black and grey kimono that showed his arms and legs. His black hair was tied up into a ponytail with a white ribbon. Cloth was wrapped on his arms and legs, not for injuries, but for defense. The young man was holding a chained-scythe. He was sweating and appeared to have been working in the crops with the scythe. 

"Nee-chan! What's this urgent thing that Sakura-chan told me? Who's coming here with Inuyasha? Where's Shippou-kun?" asked the sweating teenager.

"One question at a time, Kohaku-chan. To answer your questions, we think that Inuyasha is bringing Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Jaken here. Shippou was watching their arrival, but he…um…feel asleep. Kirara is watching him now," answered Sango. 

"Rin's coming?! I better go and clean up then. Um…ja ne nee-chan! Miroku onee-san!" exclaimed an excited Kohaku before he dashed off into his house.

"It's so cute how Kohaku still has that crush on Rin," remarked Sango.

"Too bad for him, Sesshoumaru likes her too," replied Miroku. Sango nodded in agreement. Two little kids ran up to the couple as soon as Kohaku had run off. The two children consisted of Sakura holding the hand of a miniature 6-year-old version of her father.

"We're back otousan, okasan. What do you want us to do now?" asked a polite Sakura. Her younger brother merely looked up at his parents and smiled. 

"Go inside with your little brother Sakura, please," asked/commanded Sango.

"Hai!" said Sakura as she gently pulled her brother into the wooden house, "Come on, Mirogo. Let's go inside, ok?"

"Let's go in as well Miroku," commented Sango. The two quietly walked behind their children into their home with Sango's head resting on Miroku's shoulder and their arms intertwined.

"How much further is this village of yours, Inuyasha?" asked Sesshoumaru after what has probably been 2 hours since "the hug." The group had been walking endlessly in complete silence. 

"Not much further, probably another hour or so at the most. You're not tired are you Sesshoumaru?" teased Inuyasha.

"Of course not, baka, but they are," explained Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha turned around and realized how exhausted Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Uh looked.

"Why are they so tired? It hasn't been that far. Even a normal human shouldn't tire this easily," commented Inuyasha.

"Unlike other people, they have been traveling for the past three days with only one 10 minute break every day and 3 hours of sleep every night," answered Sesshoumaru.

"What were doing to them Sesshoumaru? Were you slave-driving them? No one should travel like that, not even youkai, unless it's a complete emergency like you're in a life or death situation! They're not you or me! What were you thinking?" exclaimed a shocked Inuyasha.

"Your message was…distracting," replied Sesshoumaru.

"It couldn't have pissed you off so much that you would forget about the health of your traveling companions!" retorted Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru did not respond to that, he merely gave Inuyasha a dark look before turning around towards Rin and Jaken. He felt a bit guilty already for tiring and exhausting Rin (he wasn't feeling so bad about Jaken though, for Jaken should have been use to it by now). Having his own pathetic half brother reprimanding him was making him feel even worse. He walked towards Rin and lifted her up from Ah-Uh. He then continued walking beside Inuyasha while carrying Rin. Rin looked quite shocked and looked up at Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru merely continued walking and did not glance her way. Inuyasha and Jaken could only stare in shock.

"Um…Sesshoumaru-sama? Why are you carrying me? I could continue riding on Ah-Uh or walk by myself," asked a puzzled and blushing Rin as she looked up at him questioningly.

"Ah-Uh has enough to carry as it is, with all the supplies he is carrying on his back. You are too tired to walk, being the human that you are. As for why I'm carrying you, is there a problem with that?" retorted Sesshoumaru. Rin quickly shook her head and her blush deepened. _She looks adorable when she blushes._ Thought Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha could only watch and hear the conversation with amusement as he continued to lead the way.

An hour later, the group finally made it to the village. A small group of villagers and youkai came to greet them. Jaken merely nodded at the gathered villagers grumpily before he led Ah-Uh away to a stable. Sesshoumaru and Rin stayed behind to be greeted by the villagers.

"Welcome back Inuyasha! And welcome Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Uh to our village!" welcomed Miroku. Sesshoumaru merely nodded in reply as Rin (who was still being carried) happily exclaimed, "Hi Miroku-kun, Shippou-kun, Sango-san, Kohaku-kun, Sakura-chan, Mirogo-chan, and Kirara! Long time no see. Where's Kouga-kun and Ayame-san?" 

"They don't really live in this village. They live near this village with their pack of wolves. They come and visit once in a while to keep in touch," replied Sango. "I haven't seen you in years Rin. You've certainly grown into a beautiful woman. Um…there's something I want to ask you though, why is Sesshoumaru carrying you?"

"Um…well. You see…um…I was really tired and couldn't walk anymore, but Ah-Uh couldn't carry me because he was carrying a lot of supplies. So instead, Sesshoumaru-sama decided to carry me, replied an embarrassed, nervous, and blushing Rin. After her answer though, she quickly jumped out of Sesshoumaru's arms and said, "But I'm not tired anymore."

Kohaku and Shippou eagerly ran up to Rin and hugged her. "We haven't seen you in years Rin," said Shippou, "You should come and visit more often."

"Well, the castle is pretty far away though…" responded Rin.

"Then we should just come and fetch you," replied Shippou, "Right, Kohaku?"

"Yea…" agreed a somewhat quiet Kohaku. Kohaku couldn't help, but notice how pretty Rin had become. _She's a lot cuter than I remembered._ He thought. 

"Hey, Kohaku-kun, do you want to show me around this village? It's been a while since I've had any human contact," asked Rin.

"Sure. No problem. Just follow me," replied Kohaku as extended his arm out to Rin. Rin took the crook of his arm and they began walking around the village. Just before they left, Rin turned around to tell Sesshoumaru, "Sesshoumaru-sama, I'm going to take a walk with Kohaku-kun, ok? We'll be right back."

Sesshoumaru watched as the two left; he glare at Kohaku's back. Sesshoumaru couldn't help, but be angry with Kohaku. Kohaku, a little pathetic human that once tried to kill his beloved Rin, was stealing _his_ Rin away from him. Sesshoumaru felt like killing the little human runt. Sesshoumaru could imagine the many different, painful methods of killing he could use on Kohaku: squeezing the life out of him, slashing his throat out with his poisonous claws, cutting him up into pieces with his sword, cutting him up with his claws, transforming into a dog and tearing him into pieces, etc. _And the best part was_, Sesshoumaru thought, _was that he could bring that pathetic human back to life and kill him again, torturing him repeatedly with life and death._ However, Sesshoumaru knew Rin was fond of Kohaku. _How_ fond of Kohaku she was, Sesshoumaru did not know. He couldn't help though, but feel jealous of Kohaku for Kohaku was able to express his feelings for Rin unlike Sesshoumaru who had to hide his feelings for her.

Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha watched as Sesshoumaru's anger and frustration grew. They worried about Kohaku and the fate that Sesshoumaru might give him. Shippou merely stood to a side and watched thoughtfully at the angry youkai lord.

"You don't suppose he'll really kill Kohaku, do you, Inuyasha?" asked a worried Sango.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I would kill Kohaku if he were messing with my Kagome. Heck, Kohaku reminds me of Kouga…before he mated with Ayame and was trying to get my Kagome," added Inuyasha. Sango looked worried as Sesshoumaru's glare got angrier and scarier.

"I'll talk to Kohaku later about this. Although personally, I think that Kohaku is actually helping Sesshoumaru and Rin," commented Miroku. Sango and Inuyasha both raised an eyebrow at this comment. "Really, I mean, have you ever seen Sesshoumaru so riled up over someone, over anything? Kohaku is making Sesshoumaru jealous. Eventually Sesshoumaru might think Kohaku is such a big threat that he'll actually tell Rin of his feelings for her," explained Miroku. Inuyasha and Sango nodded in agreement, as they thought about the situation.

"Yeah, but what happens if Sesshoumaru decides to kill the competition for Rin's love, by killing Kohaku?" butted in Shippou, who had been listening to their conversation for awhile.

"I seriously doubt it Shippou. I mean Sesshoumaru knows that Rin adores Kohaku and is very fond of him. He wouldn't want to hurt her, neither physically or emotionally," replied Miroku.

"Then let fate run its course. Sesshoumaru is bound to crack and spill his emotions to Rin. I mean, everyone shows their emotion one day even if they're cold emotionless youkai lords right?" joked Shippou.

"Yeah…sure. Did you know that the last time Sesshoumaru showed his emotions, besides anger, was the day he was born?" said Inuyasha. Miroku, Sango, and Shippou looked at him, surprised that he even knew this, considering Sesshoumaru was a lot older than he was. "I found that out from Myouji-jiji. He was there when Sesshoumaru was born," explained Inuyasha.

"So what should we do?" asked Sango who was getting more and more worried about her brother's safety as she thought about what Sesshoumaru might do to him.

"Let nature and fate run its course. Even if we did tell Kohaku to stop being so obvious, he wouldn't listen unless Rin knows about his feelings and rejects him. Right now, she only thinks of him as an older brother and Kohaku thinks that she thinks of Sesshoumaru as a father figure," said Shippou. The others nodded in agreement. They turned their faces back at Sesshoumaru who was still watching Kohaku showing Rin the village. He had not heard anything Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Inuyasha had said despite his youkai hearing abilities. He was far too angry, frustrated, and jealous to hear them…although they were right next to him.


	5. A Lot of Love, Jealousy, and Rejection

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Author's Notes: Sorry for taking so long to update and I'm even sorrier to say that it might take awhile longer for the next chapter to be up. So PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I would also like to thank those who wrote a review. I totally love them! THANKS. 

****

*Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized. *

****

Chapter 4: A Whole Lot of Love, Jealousy, and Rejection

It had been only two days since their arrival in the village, but Sesshoumaru already hated it. For the past two days, Rin had gone with Kohaku around the village and helping the villagers out. She would spend sunrise to sunset with Kohaku and Sesshoumaru could only watch her go with him in anger. Sesshoumaru could not stand that pathetic human hanging around his Rin. Inuyasha and his friends could only watch helplessly as Sesshoumaru got angrier each day and their worry for Kohaku's safety also grew with each passing day. Jaken, himself, was worried about Sesshoumaru's anger. He had never seen Sesshoumaru so angry before in his nearly a century year of service to Sesshoumaru-sama. He pitied the poor creature that had cause Sesshoumaru's anger.

At the moment, Rin and Kohaku were collecting herbs in the forest; Sesshoumaru had followed them in order to ensure Rin's safety and because he was jealous. He was hiding in the trees and the two humans never suspected that he was there. Sesshoumaru watched as the two joked around and laughed. His eyes narrowed and he glared at the young man with hate, resentment, and anger. His thoughts were all about ways to kill Kohaku. Not far from Sesshoumaru, in a tree nearby, Inuyasha and Shippou were watching his movements. They were there because Sango insisted that they watch Sesshoumaru just in case he does decide to go after Kohaku so that they should stop him from killing her little brother.

"This is really stupid, I could do something far more productive than this. Why doesn't Sesshoumaru just tell Rin his feelings? That way I don't have to be here. Heck, why doesn't Kohaku admit his feelings so that Rin could reject him and we can all be on our merry way home?" whined Inuyasha. For the past two day, he was reduced to stalking his own brother to ensure the safety of Sango's precious brother. And personally, he was tired of following and watching him. Shippou looked at Inuyasha and could only sigh and shake his head at Inuyasha's whining.

"Love doesn't work that way. It takes time to confess one's feelings. Look how long it took for you and Kagome to confess your undying love for each other," retorted Shippou. Inuyasha glared at Shippou before turning his attention back at Sesshoumaru. He looked at Rin and Kohaku as they collected the herbs. He then turned back at Shippou and declared, "I'm sick and tired of this, I'm going to talk to Sesshoumaru."

"Wait! Inuyasha! I don't think that's a great-," said Shippou too late as Inuyasha had already leaped to where Sesshoumaru was hiding, "-idea." Shippou could only sigh and shake his head at Inuyasha's stupidity and impulsive actions. _Inuyasha no baka._ _When is he ever going to think before doing anything? _Thought Shippou.

"Oye Sesshoumaru!" shouted Inuyasha as he leaped onto the branch Sesshoumaru was standing on. Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha to be silent before quickly looking back at Rin and Kohaku. Apparently, Rin and Kohaku did not notice Inuyasha's shout. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes even further as he noticed their lack of attention. _They're so busy talking and having fun with each other, they don't even notice their surroundings. _Thought a jealous and angry Sesshoumaru. _Any nearby youkai could come up right behind them and kill them and they wouldn't even notice. _Inuyasha saw and felt Sesshoumaru's anger rise. 

"You know what I think?" asked Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru did not even look at Inuyasha; he was so absorbed in his anger and jealousy. "I think you should just tell her how you feel. What's the worst thing that could happen?" said Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha with angry and saddened eyes before replying, "Have you forgotten my little mate requirement? She has to be a full-blooded youkai. Until I can change that requirement or make Rin a youkai, I do not wish to tell her anything. I don't want to raise her hopes too high…that is if she actually loves me."

"Then tell her your feelings so you can find out if she loves you or not. You got to let her know. You shouldn't change her to a youkai without her knowing. That would be wrong. What happens if she likes being human?" asked Inuyasha.

"I never really thought about that," admitted Sesshoumaru. He thought about Inuyasha's words and realized that he had never thought about whether or not Rin actually wanted to be his mate.

"Plus you should really tell her before that Kohaku does and she falls for him," added Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru glared at him before turning to look back at the two humans. As Sesshoumaru watched the two humans finish collecting the last of the herbs, he decided that he would ask Rin later about whether or not she wanted to be his mate and to confess his feelings for her…when Kohaku wasn't around. 

"Why don't we go have a contest on who's better with a sword? For old times' sake, let us beat the crap out of each other and see who emerges out as the best," declared Inuyasha, disrupting Sesshoumaru's thoughts.

"Fine, but we all know who'll win," agreed Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha merely smiled at Sesshoumaru's comment and said, "Yeah… me."

"You? A formal half-breed?" mocked Sesshoumaru in disbelief.

"Yeah, me. This 'formal half-breed' as you said just now, happened to beat your ass before when he was still a hanyou," said Inuyasha.

"That happened only because I was being easy on you," replied Sesshoumaru, "A royal full-blooded youkai never goes all out in battle against something that is only half youkai."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Let's see whose better now that I'm a royal full-blooded youkai like you," challenged Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru raised one of his perfectly curved eyebrows in response before saying, "You've only been full-blooded for a decade. Do not be so cocky, _little_ brother. Never compare the skill of a 12 year old youkai with the skill of a 200 year old youkai." 

"Bring it on, oh ancient one," teased Inuyasha as he led Sesshoumaru away from Rin and Kohaku. Sesshoumaru followed Inuyasha deeper into the forest, but not before taking one last peek at Rin. Inuyasha silently barked an order to Shippou to watch Rin and Kohaku, before the two inu-brothers left the clearing. Shippou could only watch the two leave before resuming his boring task of watching the two humans. _Why can't I do something interesting for once? They could at least let me watch them fight instead of being here. It's not like Rin or Kohaku actually need my protection. Rin's been trained by Sesshoumaru and Kohaku is a youkai exterminator. Plus Kohaku use to be a formidable enemy when he was brainwashed by Naruku 12 years ago. As for Rin, she's strong enough to even whoop my ass. However, it is odd that they're not paying much attention to their surroundings. I'm surprised they haven't noticed me yet. _Thought Shippou. As Shippou pondered about it, Rin and Kohaku were busy talking in the clearing below.

"Well, that's the last of the herbs Sango-san wanted. Let's go back, shall we Kohaku-kun?" suggested Rin as she brushed off some of the plants from her kimono.

"Sure, but before we go. I have something to tell you Rin," said Kohaku as he gathered up his courage.

"What's is it, Kohaku-kun?" asked a puzzled Rin.

"First of all, could you stop calling me Kohaku-kun, Kohaku would be just fine," said Kohaku.

"Um…o.k. Is that all Kohaku? I think Sango really wants these herbs," replied Rin as she started to leave. Kohaku gently grabbed a hold of the sleeve of her kimono and said, "Wait, Rin. I haven't finished yet."

"You haven't? What is it that you want to tell me, Kohaku?" asked Rin, waiting for Kohaku to tell her. Kohaku let go of her sleeve and his face turned a bit red. 

"Rin…I…I…really care about you…ever since I first met you," stuttered a red Kohaku.

"Oh, Kohaku. I care about you too," said Rin. Her reply gave Kohaku more courage to go on.

"I think, no I know…Rin… that I'm in love with you. I've loved you for a very long time. I didn't realize that until I saw you two days how much I missed you. I think I've loved you for years," blurted out Kohaku. Rin looked at Kohaku surprised and shocked before her eyes saddened.

"I don't know what to say Kohaku," replied a shocked Rin.

"Just tell me how you feel about me Rin. I have to know if you feel the same way," responded Kohaku. Rin's eyes looked even sadder and her shoulders slumped a bit.

"I'm sorry Kohaku. I care about you a lot, but I'm in love with someone else," confessed Rin. Kohaku's entire body slumped and his eyes turned sad, "I see…" He then looked at Rin and smiled a small, weak smile, "We can still be friends though, right? Even if someone has your heart and I've made a complete fool of myself." 

"Of course, Kohaku," replied Rin. Kohaku then took a deep breath and smiled.

"So… who's the lucky dog who has your heart? If he ever treats you wrong, come straight to me. I'll fix him right up. No one's going to mess with my friend Rin," said Kohaku. Rin smiled at this and Kohaku felt a bit better. _As long as she's happy, I'll be happy to. _Thought Kohaku.

"Let's go back to the village. I think your sister really wants these herbs and I need to go talk to Sesshoumaru-sama," replied Rin. Kohaku picked up the other basket of herbs and the two started walking back to the village. However, before the two were even out of the clearing, Shippou jumped out of his tree and landed in front of them. His jump was so sudden; Rin stumbled and landed on her bottom. She got back up and brushed herself off before scolding, "Shippou-kun, what did you think you were doing? You scared me half to death. You shouldn't suddenly jump out of nowhere. You're acting a lot like Inuyasha. And this happens to be one of his many bad habits. You should stop this immediately. Plus Kohaku and I are in a hurry. We need to go and give these herbs to Sango-san before she gets impatient."

"Don't worry, Rin-chan. I just came over to check how you people were doing and I overhead you saying how you were going to talk to Sesshoumaru. I just want to tell you that Sesshoumaru is not at the village right now and that he's having a fighting session with Inuyasha in the other clearing somewhat near here," said Shippou.

"How much of out conversation did you hear Shippou?" asked a suspicious Kohaku.

__

All of it including your little love confession and rejection. Great news for Sesshoumaru, but bad for you. "Just the last bit about heading back to the village, why? Were you guys discussing something I shouldn't know about?" teased Shippou. Kohaku turned a bit red before replying, "No, of course not."

"Um, Shippou-kun, could you please bring me to where they are sparring? I'm a bit worried about him. You know how those two fight," said Rin.

"What about those herbs?" replied Shippou.

"I'll carry them back to the village," volunteered Kohaku. 

"Thank you so much Kohaku," said Rin.

"No problem Rin," said Kohaku as he took her basket of herbs and his own. He bid Shippou and Rin goodbye before heading out to the village. Shippou and Rin watched as he left. 

Kohaku walked at a steady and relaxed pace until he was sure he was out of their sight. After he was sure they couldn't see him, Kohaku stopped and sighed. He walked to a nearby hill overlooking the village. He sat down on the grass and watched the villagers down below. He saw the small villagers walking around and doing their daily chores. He looked at his basket and Rin's basket of herbs; he wondered and thought about the last hour. He wondered about how everything and yet nothing had changed. He knew he was in love with Rin, but he also knew that Rin wasn't in love with him. He knew he wanted Rin to be with him forever, but he also knew he didn't want her to be miserable. Kohaku wanted her to be happy even if she was with someone else. Kohaku sat on that hill for the rest of the day and later, when he did return to the village with the herbs and Sango scolded him for being so late, he knew exactly what he was going to do from now on.

As soon as Kohaku had disappeared from their sights, Rin turned to Shippou, who was still looking at the direction Kohaku had walked towards. She wondered if Shippou was still watching Kohaku, considering youkai had heightened senses including better eyesight. And indeed she was right, for Shippou was still watching Kohaku and had noticed how Kohaku had stopped, sighed, and turned to walk at another direction. _I hope he's going to be alright._ Thought Shippou, as he hoped his best friend would not do anything stupid. As soon as Kohaku had disappeared from _his_ sight, he turned to look at Rin.

"Shall we get going then?" asked Shippou to Rin.

"Yes, of course. Is it far, should we walk or run or what?" asked Rin, who was anxious to get to Sesshoumaru as fast at possible.

"We'll get there, Inuyasha style," answered a grinning Shippou. 

"What's the…'Inuyasha style'?" asked a puzzled Rin, who noticed Shippou's grin and couldn't help, but wonder what he was up to.

"Remember how Inuyasha brings Kagome to places? That's the Inuyasha style," replied Shippou as if it was something everyone should have already known about.

"You're going to give me a piggyback ride?" asked a shocked Rin.

"Not a piggyback ride, a youkaiback ride. There's a big difference you know…I'm not a pig," retorted Shippou as Rin climbed on his back. Shippou ran towards the woods as fast as he could, leaving only a trail of leaves and twigs scattering in the winds.


	6. A Spar and some Confessions

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Author's Notes: Well here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it and thanks for the wonderful reviews. It might be awhile until the next chapter is up so bear with me please! Umm…sorry if this may upset some you, but Kohaku is probably not going to show up for a very long time after this chapter. The same can be said for Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and the kids. Sorry! It's just that they don't really fit into the plans after this chapter. However, those of you who watch Rurouni Kenshin may recognize some of the characters from that anime. I'm just using the characters since they fit into this story so well and the fact that I really love that anime as well. I just don't like the OVA for it is all.

****

*Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized. *

****

Chapter 5: A Spar and some Confessions

While Shippou was off running into the woods towards Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, the two inu-youkai being mentioned above, were engaged in a heated spar. Each youkai was trying to best the other and prove to the other that he was the superior brother. The spar so far had lasted about an hour and neither youkai seemed ready to give in to the other. They were in a clearing, surrounded by sakura trees; the dying leaves floating around them. Both were panting heavily…actually Inuyasha was the one panting; Sesshoumaru was only silently breathing a little quickly.

"Ready to give up, _little_ brother," said Sesshoumaru, "You know you can not defeat me."

"Never Sesshoumaru! Remember I have beaten you before," replied Inuyasha, who was determined to prove to Sesshoumaru that he was just as good and worthy of their father's blood.

"Yes, but that was when I was being easy on you because you were a hanyou," retorted Sesshoumaru, "But now I'll prove to you who is the superior youkai. I will no longer go easier on you, _little _brother."

"Then why hasn't this battle ended yet, if you claim to be superior to me. If you were so strong, how come I'm still standing?" retorted Inuyasha, who was tired of Sesshoumaru's insults to his strength.

Sesshoumaru merely smirked and calmly replied, "Because I enjoy toying with you."

Inuyasha put up a face of anger and pretended to be deeply insulted by this. However, Inuyasha knew that Sesshoumaru didn't really mean what he insulted. Inuyasha was no longer that young, ignorant, naïve, impulsive hanyou that he was a decade ago. He was now a much wiser youkai, who still tended to be impulsive at times. He could now understand the underlined feelings and meanings behind someone's words and actions. Inuyasha was willing to be Sesshoumaru's little punch bag for the day. Inuyasha only wanted his older brother to release some of that pent up anger and frustration before it got to the point that his brother would actually harm Kohaku or anyone else that could easily get hurt or killed. He knew he was the only one strong enough for Sesshoumaru to fight with and release some of that frustration. He let Sesshoumaru's insults slide through him, knowing that Sesshoumaru's frustration, anger, and jealousy was making him say random insults and judgements. Still that didn't mean he couldn't pretend to be offended by it.

"Why don't we end it here and now. No more being easy on each other. Let's see who is truly stronger," challenged Inuyasha.

"Very well, Inuyasha. Let us end this here and now," agreed Sesshoumaru. 

The two inu-youkai stood across from each other, silently observing the other's movements and trying to predict the other's movements. Each youkai held their swords, waiting for the other to begin. As if it was meant to be the bell to signal the fight, a single cherry blossom gently floated down between the two brothers. The blossom was fully opened, it had been very late to open, and had been the last to open. The cherry blossom had blossomed in the fall rather than the spring and had missed its chance to become a leaf and have a full life. Instead, it had fallen from its branch before it was ready to, in its prime time of life. The flower slowly floated toward the bottom of the forest floor, ready to be forgotten. When it barely landed on the forest floor, a clawed hand swept it up before it was placed inside a kimono. A loud clash could then be heard following the blossom being swept up. Fang sword clashed with fang sword. Sparks flew between the two youkai as they dashed back and forth from each other. Each strike was met with a defensive swing until finally, the stronger arm was able to push his sword against his opponent's sword enough so that his opponent's sword flew out of his opponent's arm and landed next to him. His sword was then thrust underneath his opponent's neck; his opponent raises his arms in defeat.

"Looks like you won Sesshoumaru, but that was a lucky win though. I'll beat you next time," promised Inuyasha as he went to retrieve his fallen sword.

"Sure you will. Remember Inuyasha, I was able to defeat you even when I only had my right arm," replied Sesshoumaru as he put away his own sword.

"That was when I was younger and more naïve. Remember I beat you before as well and that was when I was a hanyou," retorted Inuyasha as he dusted himself off and checked himself for how many wounds, bruises, and scrapes he would have to tend to later.

"But that was also when I only had my right arm and even then I was being easy on you," responded Sesshoumaru as he waited for Inuyasha to be done with his inspection. Sesshoumaru had no need to check himself for any wounds for unlike Inuyasha, he didn't have any.

"Well, now that you got back your left arm, you sure got stronger," commented Inuyasha after he was done with his inspection and after a moment of thinking about Sesshoumaru's statement.

"Yes, indeed. If you hadn't notice Inuyasha, I was fighting you with my left arm, not my right arm. I now practice using my left arm more than my right arm now because I had relied so much on my right arm before…and now that I have both arms, I will be even stronger. You were my test subject for that. And seeing how I was able to defeat you with this left arm, I must say that you have gotten soft in your fighting techniques," commented an observant Sesshoumaru.

"In times of peace, it is hard to find a person to practice with," replied Inuyasha, who wasn't insulted at all, because he knew what Sesshoumaru said was true.

"Haven't you been sparring with that perverted human friend of yours? He is quite strong, for a human, isn't he?" inquired a curious Sesshoumaru.

"Well, Miroku is strong, for a human. However, he has a family to care for now. He has no time to spar with me. And plus, I'm too strong against him for it to be an even match," answered a disappointed Inuyasha.

"Then what about that kitsune pup you have been taking care of. Don't you spar with him?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Shippou is still too young. I'm sparring with him, but only to make _him_ stronger and more experienced, not me," replied Inuyasha.

"Well then you don't have to worry about that now. At my castle, you will be given daily practices. A youkai heir must be ready to defend his future lands at all times," responded Sesshoumaru.

"That's the best news I've heard so far since you came Sesshoumaru. Finally, I can become stronger and not worry about killing my opponents," exclaimed an excited Inuyasha. "Can Shippou come as well? It'll be a great experience for him as well."

"He may come with us to the castle. He is your ward after all, seeing as you are the only older youkai around here. Being with only you for too long will be bad since he might pick up some or all of your bad habits. Coming to the castle will teach your ward the proper way of being a youkai. He should also hang out with other youkai his age there and Rin seems to enjoy his company as well," said Sesshoumaru before he paused in thought and asked, "But aren't you two needed here to protect the village?"

"In times of peace? I don't think so. And anyway, if youkai do attack this village while we're gone, there are still people here who can defend it. They have Sango and Kohaku, youkai exterminators, as well as Miroku, a strong human monk. There's also the fire neko-youkai Kirara. This village will be well guarded. There is no need to worry," assured Inuyasha. 

Sesshoumaru looked a bit skeptic about this, recalling the many times he had had to rescue Rin and she was only one human! After a bit of thought, he responded to Inuyasha's assurance with, "Very well, but just in case, I'll have some of my youkai men around here. I do not want to hear complaints from you, Shippou, or Rin if anything happens to these villagers. Rin is rather fond of them you know."

"Yes, I know she is," replied a grateful Inuyasha, "You know what, Sesshoumaru? You've certainly gotten a bit more open and talkative over these past 10 years. Rin must have made a great influence over you."

"She has," admitted Sesshoumaru, "I suppose I am so use to her cheerful chattering that it is odd for there to be silence when she is not around me. You know Inuyasha, that at first I wanted to get rid of Rin because I feared the feelings I had for her would make me softer, weaker. However, she never gave up and continued to follow me despite me pushing her away any chance that I got. Despite my coldness, she remained with me for the past 14 years. Over these past years, she has slowly thawed some of my ice. I will be lost and stuck in the silence of darkness still if it weren't for her. Now I am too use to her voice, her adoration…her light. I will be…broken…if I lose her now."

Inuyasha listened to his older brother's confession with awe and a bit of disbelief. This was coming from his older half-brother; the one known as the Ice Prince who hated all humans and half-breeds. Now his brother of all people had fallen in love with a human, the very one he raised since she was a little girl. In some ways to Inuyasha, he felt that that was a bit disturbing, but he also knew in his heart that it was right. For wouldn't he, Inuyasha, be 500 years older than Kagome when he would see her again?

"Perhaps, it is time to go back to the village," suggested Inuyasha after a moment of silence. Sesshoumaru merely slightly nodded in agreement. As the two started to head back to the village, Sesshoumaru would subtlety glance at Inuyasha occasionally in the corner of his eyes. Inuyasha, who noticed this, soon got a bit annoyed.

"Quit looking at me like that! Why are you even looking at me? Is there something on my face or something?" exclaimed a peeved Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru merely stopped and looked at Inuyasha in silence before he spoke. 

"You look more like father everyday Inuyasha," murmured Sesshoumaru, "You act more a lot like him too. His hair was just as white as yours is, not like my hair, which is more like my okaa-san's hair color. Your eyes are the same dark amber as his were. You inherited much of your looks and personality from father. I inherited most of my looks and my calm personality from my okaa-san."

"Really? I don't know much about the old man except that he was some great youkai lord and that he was our father. He died when I was too young to really remember anything about him," admitted Inuyasha who looked a bit eager to learn more about his father from someone who really knew him.

"Otou-san wasn't just a great youkai lord, he was the best. He would do anything and everything for his family and land. Otou-san was a youkai that everyone admired; youkais, hanyous, and humans alike admired him. He was unusual for a youkai lord though. He actually loved his family, subjects, and land. He cared for his family very much and loved his two wives very much. Love was believed by many youkai and still is believed to something that only the weak felt, but otou-san was anything but weak. He married my okaa-san out of love and it was fortunate for the two of them that she was a full-blooded youkai that understood his strange ways. He would laugh a lot and enjoyed playing games with me when I was young. He taught me everything he knew. He was very caring and he never lifted his hand to strike me. He told me to kill only when I had to protect those I love," explained Sesshoumaru as he looked away from Inuyasha, reminiscing about the good old days. 

"Tell me more about father Sesshoumaru, please," asked an enraptured Inuyasha.

"As you probably would have noticed, he and okaa-san loved me very much. He and I were both devastated when okaa-san died. Okaa-san died when I was about 120 years old. She was poisoned to death. We never did find out who did it although otou-san and I searched everywhere and questioned everyone about it. 3 years later, otou-san met your mother and fell in love with her. I was still getting over okaa-san's death when otou-san informed me that he was going to marry your mother. I was very…upset and angry at otou-san. We had not found okaa-san's killer and here he was, marrying someone else and a human female 100 years younger than I to boot had. I felt betrayed, I thought my otou-san loved my okaa-san and will never marry again especially since he was married to okaa-san for many centuries. At first, when I saw your mother, I wanted to kill her and rip her to pieces so that it'll only be otou-san and me again looking to avenge okaa-san," confessed Sesshoumaru.

"Then what made you stop?" asked a curious Inuyasha.

"I just couldn't do it. Your mother was so kind to me and I soon saw why otou-san fell in love with her. In some ways, your mother resembled my okaa-san. They were both kind, beautiful, and deeply in love with otou-san. Soon, I grew use to your mother and slowly accepted her as my stepmother. And then you were born. Believe it or not, I actually cared for you when you were very young and looked after you like an older brother should. But then, that letter came," said Sesshoumaru, his eyes burning in hatred at the memory of that letter and the events to come with it.

"What letter? What did it say? Who was it from?" asked an enraptured and curious Inuyasha, who was acting like an excited puppy.

"It was a letter from okaa-san's killer. He wanted otou-san to meet him somewhere in the mountains. He was considering whether or not he should go in the first place and leave his family behind. He didn't want to leave us especially you, yourself, was very young and that time and very vulnerable to his enemies. I kept urging otou-san to go while your mother begged otou-san to not go because of some vision she saw. Finally, otou-san listened to me and left me behind to protect you and your mother. I personally wanted to go with otou-san, but otou-san wouldn't let me, he said I had to stay and protect the family. That was the last time I saw him alive," told a grim Sesshoumaru as he thought about what happened next.

"Saw him alive? What happened?" asked Inuyasha.

"The next day, I heard about the fight between him and that stupid dragon. It seemed that mother's killer had tricked him into fighting that dragon. Otou-san managed to trap that dragon, as you already know, but he died from the fatal injuries that he received. I was devastated by otou-san's death, so soon after okaa-san had died. Both had died from the same killer. One by poison, the other by manipulation. I wanted revenge. I was also upset about how otou-san had died. He wouldn't have died if it weren't for me insisting that he go; at the very least I should have gone with him," said a regretful Sesshoumaru.

"But it wasn't your fault. Father wanted you to stay with us. I don't think he wanted to see you hurt. I think he knew that it was a trap somehow so he made you stay with us. Just in case he was right about it being a trap," reasoned Inuyasha. 

"Perhaps, but I was still angry with you and your mother from preventing me from going with otou-san. I was especially angry at your mother for being right about her vision. My anger and regret grew and grew until it turned into hatred. I became as you remembered me as being, a cold and selfish bastard. From the day of otou-san's death, all I could think about was revenge. I wanted to be more powerful and be stronger; I wanted to be even stronger than otou-san so that one day I could avenge my okaa-san and otou-san. I left you and your mother behind in the castle in search of the one who killed my parents and I soon forgot about the two of you. I could not stand being with you and your mother back then. Your mother reminded me too much of my own okaa-san and you…you looked more like otou-san more and more as you grew older. I began hating you for that, looking like otou-san and acting like him. I especially started to hate how your human mother, and not my own mother, was still alive. I grew jealous of you, so much that I wanted to kill you right then and there, but I never could. Otou-san's words never left me, his last words of me protecting you and your mother. Memories of you as the little brother and otou-san's last words stopped me from actually killing you. I decided to leave your mother and you behind in the castle instead," confessed Sesshoumaru.

"Yeah, I remember those days. The people at the castle were quite hostile with mom and me. They never quite accepted us after father died. And when you visited, you were always cold and harsh with me. You rarely ever spoke to me and when you did, it was only if I was in your way. You never was able to look at me in the eyes when you spoke to me," remembered Inuyasha.

"Yes, I recall those days vividly. The castle servants were very loyal to otou-san and okaa-san as well as to me. They grieved over okaa-san's and otou-san's death. They felt that your mother and you weren't really part of the family; they felt that you were intruding on his death and taking advantage of his status and wealth. Soon, I believed their words as well and forgot about how kind your mother really was. I became lost in the darkness and I grew colder and colder. It was awhile before I found out your mother's death and a month later to learn that the very same killer that had killed my parents, had killed your mother. I came home as soon as I heard about your mother's death, but by then, you were gone. I never knew why you left. I didn't really care at that moment where you were. All I cared about was that I had again missed a chance of finding that killer and avenging my own parents' death. I suppose, a part of me knew that you were alive and actually cared about if you were safe or not. However, back then, I was a heartless beast and it was very hard for me to care about anything except for revenge," admitted a regretted Sesshoumaru.

"For the next couple of years, I could only hear rumors about you. A part of me was relieved that you were still alive; the other part of me wasn't. I started getting angry each time I heard your name uttered. I then forbid my servants from ever mentioning your name again. The last rumor that I heard about you was that a woman you loved had sealed you to a tree. What happened to you strengthened my resolve to never love anyone ever again and concentrate only on revenge. The next time I saw you after that was 50 years later and we were both after otou-san's sword. I was surprised about how much you've grown, but I also hated how much you looked like otou-san. I was still filled of hatred, jealousy, and pride back then. Each time we met though, I always told you I would kill you and I could have, but a part of me always stopped me and made me spare you. It was not until I met Rin that the ice around my heart began to thaw and melt. I never thought I could love again," confessed Sesshoumaru, "I am sorry, Inuyasha, for not caring for you as an older brother should."

Inuyasha was quite speechless at that point. He never really knew about his father or his brother. All he knew about them was what he had heard from other people or what he himself had witnessed. Inuyasha contemplated the story Sesshoumaru had just told: _I was wrong about him all these years then. He had a reason to be a cold and selfish creature. I was like him once, after mom died and I had to survive on my own. All I cared about was being a full-blooded youkai and being stronger. I wanted him to recognize me as a strong person and not that weak little brother he always sneered at. I didn't care about anyone, but myself. I didn't trust anyone after mom died until I met Kikyo, but when Naraku tricked the two us into hating each other, I felt that I could never trust or fall in love again. I was wrong, I fell in love with Kagome. But for Sesshoumaru to not love for so long after he had experienced love before? I was only with mom for 6 years and I already loved her a lot despite my few memories of her. Sesshoumaru lived with his parents for over a century; he must have lots of memories about them. He must have loved them very much and then to go 73 years without caring for anyone or anyone caring for him? What a sad life! Luckily, he met Rin though. Hey, wait a moment…didn't he say that the one who killed his parents killed my mother?_

"Sesshoumaru, did you say that the killer of our father killed my mother?" asked Inuyasha.

"Yes, I did. And when I find that bastard, I am going to rip him into pieces and then bring him back to life and kill him repeatedly. I'll continue doing that for as long as it will take to make him wish he were never born," said a blood-lustful Sesshoumaru, whose hands had formed into fists so hard that blood was dripping from his hand.

"You mean you haven't found that murderer yet?" asked Inuyasha in disbelief.

"That murderer is a lot harder to find than killing that stupid Naraku. I'm still searching for him whenever I can, but…according to Rin, I should not be so obsessed about it, it is…as she tells me…bad for me to be so blood thirsty. She assures me that one day I will find that murderer, but until I do, I should enjoy life the way my parents wanted me to," said an amused and somewhat smiling Sesshoumaru. As he said this, Sesshoumaru thought about how Rin had lectured him before about enjoying his life and saying that that was probably what he parents wanted him to do. He couldn't help, but smirk at that memory, his fists became hands and the cuts on his hands soon faded away, thanks to fast youkai healing.

Inuyasha noticed the change in Sesshoumaru, from sadness and anger when he thought of his parents' death to amused and happy when he thought of Rin. Inuyasha was glad that Rin had brought so pleasant a change to Sesshoumaru. It did make Inuyasha wonder though: _Was this the real Sesshoumaru? The one Rin saw in him, the one that had cared for me when I was a baby and a toddler? Was this how Sesshoumaru was before father died and he was consumed with hatred and revenge? Could this have been the brother I could have had? Does that mean I could have had a happier childhood? _Inuyasha grew increasingly angrier with the mysterious murderer who had robbed him of his father, his mother, and his brother. He wanted revenge as well.

"I'm going to help you find that murderer too, Sesshoumaru. He ruined my life too; he took away your mother, our father, and my mother. We both lost our parents to this fiend. I want a part of this revenge as well," declared Inuyasha. 

Sesshoumaru was about to reject Inuyasha's offer of help when a vision of the past appeared before his eyes. He recalled the day that he had asked his father if he could go with him to the mountains and avenge his mother. Oh, how he really wanted to go with his father that day! Sesshoumaru looked back at the eager Inuyasha and decided to allow Inuyasha to be a part of the battle, for did Inuyasha not lose his dear ones also? Thus, Sesshoumaru nodded his head slightly, accepting his younger brother's help. Inuyasha smiled gratefully, for he wanted to avenge his mother and help his older brother. 

"However, Inuyasha, you must not become so obsessed about this revenge as I was," remarked Sesshoumaru as he thought about his past self.

"Yes, I know. I know we must avenge our parents, but not at the expense of our loved ones," replied Inuyasha as Sesshoumaru listened.

"Um…now that that is settled, how about let's head back to the village?" suggested Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru was about to nod in agreement when he caught a scent in the wind; a scent he could recognize anywhere and would never forget it, Rin's scent. He turned to Inuyasha, who noticed the scent as well. Inuyasha sniffed the air, and realized that Shippou was with her as well. As Sesshoumaru sniffed the air with Inuyasha, he realized he could not find the annoying scent of the human brat that had been hanging around _his_ Rin. _I wonder where that human brat is? Why is that kitsune with Rin and not that human? _Thought Sesshoumaru. The object of his thoughts soon came into his view, but what he saw made him angry and jealous. There on the back of the kitsune youkai was his beloved Rin. A youkai, a male youkai, was carrying his Rin. Sesshoumaru began to growl silently.

Inuyasha noticed Sesshoumaru's dark expression and could barely hear Sesshoumaru soft growling, but Inuyasha looked to where his brother was glaring. He noticed Rin riding on the back of Shippou and realized why Sesshoumaru was angry. He turned to Sesshoumaru and calmly said, "Sesshoumaru, you need not get jealous over Shippou and Rin. Shippou is well aware of your feelings for her. He's a very observant kitsune despite being naïve sometimes. He won't try anything on Rin. That I should know, I've practically raised that kitsune since he was 6 years old, the same year you started to raise Rin. Those two are just friends, nothing more."

Sesshoumaru stopped growling and decided to retain his cold look at Shippou. Shippou, who although was still running at the two inu-youkai, noticed his cold look and started to get a bit nervous. As soon he was close enough to the inu-youkai, he let Rin get off his back. Rin then immediately ran to Sesshoumaru and hugged him. Sesshoumaru, surprised yet again at this, merely held Rin and gently hugged her back.

"I was so worried about you, Sesshoumaru-sama. I was afraid you and Inuyasha-oneesan were going to get hurt from sparring with each other. Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?" inquired a worried Rin who, as soon as she was done hugging Sesshoumau, was examining Sesshoumaru from top to bottom for any injuries.

"I am fine, Rin. No pathetic brother of mine is going to beat me," assured an amused Sesshoumaru as he watched Rin examine him.

"I know, Sesshoumaru-sama, but I can't help it. I keep thinking about that time I first met you when you were badly injured. Were those injuries then not caused by your younger brother?" retorted Rin after she was done examining Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha then looked at Sesshoumaru and gave Sesshoumaru a look that said, "I told you so."

"Yes, but that was only because I was underestimating him and was being far too easy on him," replied Sesshoumaru, who looked back at Inuyasha with a "I am more superior than you" look. Rin stared at Sesshoumaru in slight disbelief as she watched the two brothers tease each other like brothers. Although it was unbelievable at first sight, she shook her head a little after watching them for a moment before she smiled in happiness. She was glad that the two have finally gotten along after all these years. 

Sesshoumaru watched Rin's face as many emotions crossed it. He wondered what Rin was thinking, but he did not inquire her about what she was thinking about. Instead, he suggested, "Let us head back to the village now and start preparing for the trip back to the castle."

Shippou, Inuyasha, and Rin looked a bit surprised at this statement. Inuyasha and Rin did not think that they would be going to the castle so soon.

"We have been here at this village long enough. It is time to head back home," said Sesshoumaru, who said this calmly and sternly.

"But it's only been 2 days though, Sesshoumaru," complained Inuyasha, "Do we have to go back now?"

"Yes, we do, Inuyasha. We have a ball to plan that's coming up in 2 weeks and you have youkai etiquette to learn. Actually, you and your ward there need to learn proper youkai etiquette in less than 2 weeks. The faster we get back to the castle, the more time you will have to learn…unless of course…you would rather embarrass yourself and our family name at the ball?" replied a calm Sesshoumaru.

"Oh, of course not," retorted Inuyasha, "It's just that it seems so soon and…"

"Hold up…I'm going with you guys? Why didn't anyone tell me this?!" exclaimed an alarmed Shippou, "And what's this proper youkai etiquette I have to learn in less than 2 weeks?"

"See Sesshoumaru, I told you he was observant," said Inuyasha to Sesshoumaru before turning his attention to Shippou, "Sorry Shippou for not informing you earlier. Since I'm the only adult full-blooded around here, I have to be your guardian and you have to be my ward. And since I have to go to the castle with Sesshoumaru, you have to go along with me so that I can watch you. Plus it'll be a good time and place for you to interact with other youkai your age and learn more about our kind. As you know personally, I'm not exactly the best role model and teacher of how to be a youkai, especially about full-blooded youkais considering I've only been a full-blooded youkai for the past 12 years."

"Well then, I guess it's ok then. Just tell me next time ok? I don't like surprises and I really don't like it when people dictate my life," sighed an understanding Shippou. 

Rin watched the three youkai as they talked and thought about what they said. _I'm really going to miss Sango, Miroku, Sakura, Mirogo, Kirara, Kohaku, and everyone in the village._ Thought Rin._ Well at least I don't have to worry about those awkward moments with Kohaku that I was expecting after that conversation we had in the forest. Still, it would have been nice to stay here for a couple more days, but Sesshoumaru-sama is right. We have a lot to do back at the castle. We have a ball to plan and it has to be perfect since Sesshoumaru-sama is planning to announce his heir that night. Plus, Inuyasha and Shippou have a lot of things they need to learn before the ball and 2 weeks is a very short amount of time to learn that many things. We were only suppose to stay at this village until we are well rested and now that we are, it's time to head back home. Home sweet home._

"What are we waiting for? Let's go then! We have a lot of things to do. We have the planning to do, the cleaning, the teaching, and…oh my goodness…we haven't even decided on the theme of the ball!" interrupted an excited Rin, who grabbed a sleeve of each of the three male youkai. The three males could only stare at the female in astonishment as she talked about the upcoming ball while dragging them back to the village. 

__


	7. Home Sweet Home, a Guest, and a Prophecy

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Author's Notes: Sorry for making you guys wait so long, you know life…it's unpredictable and keeps one busy. Please bear with me since it might take awhile before I can update again. Anyway, I decided to change the rating of this story due to Inuyasha's foul language and etc.. And for those of you who watch Rurouni Kenshin (the OVA anyways) and are a fan of Tomoe and Akira…I'm sorry. The OVA is just wrong somehow; maybe it's just that the characters there don't look like anything like the series. Well like always, enjoy this next chapter.

**__**

*Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized. *

**__**

Chapter 6: Home Sweet Home, an Unexpected Guest, and a Prophecy

The next morning, after a short amount of time of packing and saying their goodbyes, the 5-youkai males and 1 human female set out on the journey back to the castle. Instead of walking back to the castle, the youkai males decided to fly back to save time and energy. Jaken rode on a flying Ah-Uh while Sesshoumaru carried Rin in the air. Inuyasha and Shippou flew beside them. Sesshoumaru was, of course, leading the way. He was carrying Rin, obviously to everyone else besides him and Rin, because he did not want anyone else to carry her especially Shippou, despite Inuyasha's assurance that they were only friends. In less than a day, the group of youkais and human reached the castle, compared to the three days it took for Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Uh to walk to the village. It took the original group three days because Sesshoumaru wanted to slowly patrol that part of his territory that he hadn't checked for over a decade. He had wanted to make sure nothing wrong had happened during the past decade or so that he had neglected that part of his lands. As the large group approached the castle, a huge group of youkai could be seen standing in front of the castle. They had detected the approaching scent of their master and wish to welcome his arrival back home.

When Sesshoumaru and the group landed in front of the castle, a couple of the youkai servants immediately went to them and carried away their luggage to their rooms. If the youkai servants were surprised to see Inuyasha, the master's "hated" half-brother, and Shippou with their youkai lord, they did not act or look surprised. They merely bowed their heads in greeting to them and continued with their duties. Each of the youkai servants, however, made sure to smile when they greeted Rin, for each of them loved her dearly, each having watched Rin grow from an innocent, kind-hearted, and pretty girl to a still innocent, kindhearted, but instead of pretty, beautiful woman. 

Rin, in return, smiled warmly at each of the servants and inquired each of them individually about how things were in the castle and what has happened at the castle since she left. Sesshoumaru waited patiently as Rin slowly asked every youkai servant, all 200 of them. Jaken just bowed his head a bit in front of Sesshoumaru before taking Ah-Uh to the stables. Inuyasha and Shippou, however, waited impatiently for Rin with Sesshoumaru. They were not use to this unlike Sesshoumaru and Jaken, who were use to this happening each time they came back from a trip for the past 14 years. 

After what seemed like hours, but instead just an hour or two (for the servants only gave Rin very brief replies), the group finally headed inside the castle. They headed straight for the tearoom to take a break and discuss what they were going to do next, now that they were in the castle. As they walked through the castle, Inuyasha recalled old childhood memories while Shippou admired the grandness and majesty of the ancient palace. When the four reached the room, there awaited an unexpected guest there, someone none of them expected to see, especially Sesshoumaru.

"What are you doing here?" asked a glaring, but calm Sesshoumaru.

The stranger, who was occupying Sesshoumaru's seat, rose from the chair and bowed somewhat respectively. Since his back was facing the fire in the fireplace, the stranger's face was therefore hidden in the shadows. The stranger then lifted his head from his graceful bow and smiled a dark, secretive, yet mocking smile that chilled the bones of Rin and Shippou. Inuyasha growled at the stranger with the smile that he KNEW he did not like. The smile was the only thing they saw besides the shadow of his body. Sesshoumaru just stood there and looked at the stranger.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, how wonderful to see you again," said the tall, dark stranger who continued to smile that disturbing smile.

Sesshoumaru glared at the stranger before he commanded an answer, once more, "What are you doing here?"

The stranger made a tsk tsk tsk sound before replying, "Is that a way to welcome an old friend?"

"You were never a friend…Akira," retorted Sesshoumaru.

"My, my, my, is someone grumpy today," remarked Akira as he stepped out of the shadows. He was a somewhat tall man, compared to most men, but he was shorter than Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. He was barely taller than Shippou, only off by a few centimeters. He had short spiked-up black hair, uncommon in the Feudal Era, but perhaps more common in Kagome's time. His ears were pointed and he had red marks on the sides of his face. His black abyss-like eyes glistened like a lion ready to make a kill. His long, soft, black tail with elegant puffs of fur at the end of it, swung right to left, left to right, slowly like a ticking clock. Akira's whole presence and the way he presented himself marked him as dangerous as a lion ready and patient enough to make his kill no matter how long it would take. Sesshoumaru knew this and so did Inuyasha and Shippou. Rin also sensed the danger and remained guarded. 

"I feel a bit generous today, Akira, so I will only ask this only one more time: What are you doing here?" demanded Sesshoumaru whose anger and hate was hidden under a cold mask. His cold fury could be felt in the tearoom despite the warm fire in the fireplace. Everyone shivered in the room, but Akira, who merely smirked.

"Temper temper Sesshou-chan. You mustn't get too angry now. It's bad for your karma. Anyways, I was here to deliver a message for a dear person we both know and love," said a teasing Akira. Akira paused a moment and waited a few seconds for a reaction from Sesshoumaru, but found none, so he continued, "You know, our dear beloved childhood friend, Tomoe. She misses you a great deal and wonders when you will ever visit her."

"Was that the only message Akira? If it is, it's pathetic as usual," remarked Sesshoumaru.

Akira's eyes flared in anger, but the flare of anger was quickly suppressed. Instead, Akira smiled an even more disturbingly smile than before. This smile sickened Rin and Shippou; Inuyasha felt like literally slicing that smile off of Akira's face. Sesshoumaru remained emotionless as if he was bored with Akira's little game. Akira then replied to Sesshoumaru, in a dark, subtly threatening voice, "That wasn't the only message. This is the other half: '_Blood and specie will run true. Canine and canine will be one. The Inu Lord can not run when his destiny and mate beckons for him'_"

Inuyasha and the others looked confused at the message. They tried to decipher what it could mean. Rin was thinking about the message, but she was also thinking of the person who sent this messenger. _I heard this name before. Tomoe, Tomoe, Tomoe…where have I heard it before? _Rin thought, when suddenly she remembered. _Tomoe, wasn't she the one Kaoru, Megumi, and Misao were trying to warn Sesshoumaru about? _

While Rin was trying to remember what the youkai women had warned Sesshoumaru about Tomoe, Akira was observing Sesshoumaru's face. He was trying to see if Sesshoumaru would react to the other half of the message, he just delivered. Sesshoumaru just looked at Akira with an emotionless face. Sesshoumaru's eyes remained cold with no hint of any emotion. His face retained that bored and somewhat sleepy appearance. Akira became annoyed and angry with Sesshoumaru's lack of response and started to softly growl.

"Is there anything you want to say to her, Sesshoumaru?" growled an annoyed and angered Akira.

"Stop sending her pathetic lover to deliver stupid messages," answered Sesshoumaru calmly. 

Akira had had enough with Sesshoumaru's lack of response and disrespect for his mistress. He roared with anger and lunged at Sesshoumaru, but before he could even reach Sesshoumaru, a sword was pointed under his neck.

"If that is all you have to say to me from her, leave at once before I decide to kill you," said Sesshoumaru calmly as he held the tip of his sword beneath Akira's neck. A thin line of blood could be seen on Akira's neck and a few drops of blood were falling onto the floor. Akira barely nodded before Sesshoumaru removed his sword from Akira's neck. Akira then bowed quickly and glared at Sesshoumaru with hatred and anger before he left the room, and out of Sesshoumaru's home.

"What was that all about?" asked Inuyasha to Sesshoumaru as they walked to the chairs in front of the fireplace and sat down.

"Nothing in need of your concern," replied Sesshoumaru as he sat down on the chair and growled as his nose detected Akira's scent on his chair. Sesshoumaru rang for a servant, who came quickly to Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what is it that you require this humble servant to do," asked a young female raccoon youkai.

"Burn this chair and bring me a new one," ordered Sesshoumaru, 

The youkai maid nodded and carried the chair out of the room. A new chair was then brought in and was placed where the old chair was. This was all done in less than a minute.

"Bring some refreshments," ordered Sesshoumaru, "And have someone clean that blood off the floor. I do not want any evidence of that blood or scent in this room."

The servants nodded and then disappeared. The blood and Akira's scent also disappeared with them. And in a few seconds, a tray of tea and rice balls appeared before the group. Inuyasha and Shippou could only stare at all this in shock. Not only was the service fast, but sometime you couldn't see it happen. Rin and Sesshoumaru merely sipped their tea; they were use to it.

The group relaxed in their chairs and drank their tea. Inuyasha could only stare at his cup of tea until he remembered his question and Sesshoumaru's answer to it.

"What was all that about with Akira earlier?" asked an impatient Inuyasha, "And don't tell me it's none of my business because it is since I am the heir and should know what's happening in this castle."

Sesshoumaru stared at Inuyasha coldly and was about to tell him to mind his own business before Rin also asked, "I'm also curious Sesshoumaru-sama. What was that all about?"

Sesshoumaru could only sigh in his mind as he looked at the curiosity that was in the faces of Inuyasha, Shippou, and Rin. He placed his cup on top of the tray and rang for his servant. He whispered an order to the little squirrel youkai, so quietly that not even Inuyasha could hear him. The little servant then dashed off to follow his lord's order as Inuyasha, Shippou, and Rin could only watch him go with puzzlement. Sesshoumaru then stood up and faced the fire, his back facing the three.

"Akira mentioned his message came from Tomoe. Is that the same Tomoe that those youkai ladies warned you about?" asked Rin as she watched Sesshoumaru stare into the fire.

"Yes, she is the one and the same. Akira is her lover," replied Sesshoumaru as he reflected upon old memories in the fire.

"That mental case feline is her lover? Why would anyone want that sick bastard? He's one disturbing black lion youkai," commented Inuyasha, "And who is this 'Tomoe?' Is she someone I need to be warned about?"

"She's this poodle youkai that these three youkai ladies warned us about. They told us that she expects to be Sesshoumaru's mate and will kill anyone who stands in her way of what she wants," answered Rin.

"A poodle youkai? That doesn't sound so scary. It's weird though how a poodle would chose a lion for a lover, but it's even more disturbing to know that she expects to be Sesshoumaru's mate when she has a lover," remarked Shippou. Inuyasha and Rin nodded in agreement while Sesshoumaru continued to stare into the fire.

"I still don't get that message Akira delivered though. What did she mean: '_Blood and specie will run true. Canine and canine will be one. The Inu Lord can not run when his destiny and mate beckons for him'_?" asked Inuyasha.

"I don't either," said a shrugging and puzzled Rin. Shippou shrugged his shoulders as well. The three then turned to Sesshoumaru for the answer.

"It's Tomoe's interpretation of an ancient prophecy," answered Sesshoumaru. 

Sesshoumaru's answer only puzzled Inuyasha, Shippou, and Rin even more as the three looked at Sesshoumaru confusedly. Before Inuyasha could question Sesshoumaru about his statement, the squirrel youkai came back in the room. He carried with him an ancient looking scroll as well as a couple of newer looking scrolls. He walked up to Sesshoumaru and bowed his head while extending the scrolls out to him.

"Here are the documents you requested for, Sesshoumaru-sama," said the youkai servant. 

Sesshoumaru took the scrolls from him. He nodded his head a bit and the servant left the room. Inuyasha, Shippou, and Rin looked at the scrolls in Sesshoumaru's hands. They wondered at what they could be and why Sesshoumaru would have asked for them.

"What is that, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked a curious Rin as she pointed to the ancient scroll. Sesshoumaru did not answer; he handed the scroll to Rin. Rin opened the ancient scroll carefully. Dust flew out of the scroll as she unraveled it. Inuyasha and Shippou moved their seats closer to her. The two of them looked at the scroll as Rin read it aloud:

(Prophesy of Japanese Youkai Lords)

__

The blood of the canines will run together

The son of a great inu lord will unite with the daughter of great canines

All of the land will unite under their rule

The controller of life and death, the feared lord of the west

The most beloved of Japan, the heiress to three great lands

She will rise from death like a rising phoenix

She will fall into the depths of death

And be reborn as the beloved, forgiving heiress

He will suffer many losses

He will no longer trust and love

And be known as the cold, merciless lord

Her laughter will ease his sorrow

His winter will welcome her spring

But darkness will come between them

A wicked heart will divide them

Insanity runs in the tainted blood of this wicked one

Its evil can destroy the land and will

Unless the two destined lovers unite against it

"That doesn't even rhyme. Aren't ancient prophecies suppose to rhyme?" asked Inuyasha after Rin had finished reading it.

"It is a translation," answered Sesshoumaru, "The actual prophecy was written in a language long forgotten. No one remembers when it was even prophesized."

"So what does this prophecy have to do with everything?" said Shippou.

"All youkai with royal blood or those who rule a territory, know about this prophecy," replied Sesshoumaru, "Many youkai have different interpretations of it. It has been debated repeatedly for many centuries until it was forgotten and was rediscovered by my father."

"Your father thought this prophecy referred to you, didn't he? Is that why he arranged it so that you would marry one of those three youkai women?" asked Rin.

"Yes, he thought that perhaps this prophecy may refer to me since he, himself, was a great inu lord. The rest of the prophecy he was not certain since it would refer to the adult life of the ones being prophesized and I was but a pup when he arranged my marriage," replied Sesshoumaru, his eyes pained as he recalled his deceased father.

"Well it does make sense…at least half of this prophecy. You are the son of a great inu lord. You are the feared lord of the West who is known for being cold and merciless. You don't really trust or love anyone…well didn't anyway," said Inuyasha as he took a glance at Rin before he continued listing aloud the things he thought connected Sesshoumaru with the prophecy, "Since you have Tensuaiga and can bring people back to life, you are the controller of life and death. You have suffered many losses during your life."

"Since Sesshoumaru has suffered quite some losses over the years, he would be in sorrow. Since he's so cold and merciless, that would explain the winter part. What I don't get though, would be the female part of the prophecy. Who is destined to be his mate?" asked a curious Shippou, "I mean Sesshoumaru is the lord of the West, that only leaves the East, North, and South, but don't they belong to three other youkai lords. How could one female be the heiress to those three when there are three heiresses from what I've heard?"

"That's probably what confused father," commented Inuyasha, "This part of the prophecy also confuses me: _She will rise from death like a rising phoenix. She will fall into the depths of death. And be reborn as the beloved, forgiving heiress._ Does that mean she can come back from the dead like a phoenix or something?"

"And what about the last parts of the prophecy? It's clear that something bad is going to happen and that only these two can stop it, but there are so many questions left unanswered here. Who's destined to be Sesshoumaru's mate? Who or what is this darkness? When is it going to happen? And what does Tomoe have to do with all this?" asked a confused Shippou to the silent Sesshoumaru.

"You said that Akira's message was Tomoe's interpretation of an ancient prophecy, which would be this particular prophecy right?" asked Rin to Sesshoumaru who slightly nodded yes in reply, "Then that would mean she thinks that she is destined to be your mate, right?"

"Unfortunately," answered Sesshoumaru as he turned around to look at the three.

"Wait, is this the same Tomoe that use to glare at me and call me a disgusting, foul little hanyou when I was a pup?" asked Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru nodded his head before Inuyasha continued his ranting; "Oh I hated that bitch. She would come almost everyday to see Sesshoumaru. Of course, Sesshoumaru wasn't always there so she would insist on staying at the castle until he came, which would mean she practically live at the castle. Each time she saw me, it was 'Get out of my way you disgusting hanyou. You're fouling up Sesshoumaru's precious castle. I wonder why he even keeps you, you're so pathetic and impure.' Of course, she never said that to me when my mother or Sesshoumaru was around. Oh gods that perfume she always wore. That plum blossom perfume! She always wore too much of that; it always made me sneeze. How could you stand it Sesshoumaru?! Your nose was much more sensitive than mine was then. Anyway, I could never stand her. I was always in the opposite side of the castle when she was there. It wasn't that hard to avoid her, what with that stench…but for some reason, she always looked for me when Sesshoumaru wasn't there. It was like she enjoyed torturing me or something."

"She probably did. She was always a sick bitch even when we were pups," said Sesshoumaru.

"What about those other scrolls in your hand?" asked Rin as she remembered the other scrolls in Sesshoumaru's hands. Sesshoumaru handed her the scrolls. Rin took them and unraveled one of them. She read it and as she read, she said, "This scroll talks about Tomoe's background. It says here, she's a purebred poodle youkai."

"Purebred as in her whole family line is poodle like her mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, etc.?" asked Inuyasha. Rin nodded her head as she looked at the scroll.

Shippou looked at Rin confused as he remarked, "But poodle youkai are extremely rare. How is she a purebred? There are only like two or three families of poodle, but there are all…" 

"Exactly, there are all related. In order to continue the poodle line and make sure it remains pure, the poodle youkai have to mate with each other," finished Sesshoumaru to Shippou's unfinished statement.

"Then they're inbreeding? Gross! That's like incest!" exclaimed Inuyasha.

"It is incest, Inuyasha," said Shippou, "But what I don't get is why Tomoe would want to ruin that oh so perfect blood of hers by becoming Sesshoumaru's mate."

"It says here that Tomoe is the heiress of a giant piece of territory. 1/3 of this territory belongs to the Eastern lands, another 1/3 of it belongs to the Northern lands, and last 1/3 belongs to the Southern lands," said Rin as she continued to look at the scroll.

"How is that possible? How is it exactly 1/3 of each? Three lands… are that what makes her think she is destined to be Sesshoumaru's mate? The fact she owns a great piece of territory that's from three great lands?" remarked Shippou as he thought about this new piece of information.

Rin continued to read from the scroll and as she did, she said, "But technically she doesn't own the land. The Youkai Lords of the East, North, and South do. She's just in charge of that territory."

"But how does that explain the fact that she controls a part of each of those three lands?" commented Inuyasha.

"It doesn't, but because her family only breeds with purebred poodles and since there are so few poodles, eventually all of the land that the poodles control are inherited by one person and that happens to be Tomoe," said Rin when she looked up from the scroll.

"So let me get this straight. There's like one family of poodles in each of the three great lands. The three families mate with each other and they inherit each other's territories. Eventually all that land will be inherited by one poodle and that's Tomoe. Is it me or is that fucking weird? How is it that she gets land that's exactly 1/3 of each of the three great lands?" exclaimed Inuyasha who was so confused by it all.

"Because the poodles are inbreeding, hereditary diseases or habits are strengthened," muttered Shippou as he pondered on this, "So that would mean…Sesshoumaru, what hereditary habit or disease are poodles vulnerable to?"

"Poodles are extremely protective of their property. That aggressiveness of protecting their property gets worse with each generation of inbreeding," answered Sesshoumaru as he watched Rin read the scroll.

Rin looked up from her reading and commented with, "Added with the fact that insanity runs in the family and you get…"

"A fucking family that's fucking insane and sick, an insane family that's aggressive about their property that created that fucking, insane bitch. Great that's so fucking great!" exclaimed a foul-mouth Inuyasha. 

"Calm down, Inuyasha," said Shippou to Inuyasha before asking Rin, "But how is she able to inherit that piece of territory?"

"She killed off the competition as a pup. According to the scroll, it's tradition for a litter of poodle pups to kill each other off until only one remains. That way all the attention and land the parents own will go to that pup. The parents will not have to worry about their kids fighting over property. They don't have to worry about dividing their land and weakening the family's control of the land or having their kids killing each other in adulthood for the land. It also says in this scroll that Tomoe's original inheritance was land that was in the Eastern lands; however, her relatives that were in line to inherit the other two territories were mysteriously murdered after Tomoe's birth. Tomoe just so happened to be in line for those territories after them," read Rin from the long carefully written scroll.

"So that family is filled with murderers and ambitious people…great…" remarked a sarcastic Inuyasha. 

"What we need to do is think about what Tomoe has to do with the prophecy. I think she is a part of the prophecy, what do you think Sesshoumaru?"

Inuyasha looked at Shippou with shock and exclaimed, "Part of the prophecy? I mean she's an heiress to a large territory that's part of the three great lands, but I can hardly see her as being _reborn as the beloved, forgiving heiress. _She's anything but forgiving and beloved. And the other parts of the prophecy don't fit her either." 

"I think Shippou means the other part of the prophecy Inuyasha-sama. The last parts of it. Tomoe's bloodline has insanity in it and from everyone's description of her, she probably has a wicked heart," remarked Rin as she rolled the scroll back to its original position. 

"So we have to beware a little purebred white poodle youkai? Ok, what I just said just sounded so stupid," stated Inuyasha, "But what about that Akira guy? He looks and sounds more dangerous than Tomoe."

"Well, you can't say that Tomoe isn't dangerous in her own right. I mean look at her family background and her ideas. And remember Akira is her servant and from what I've seen of him today, it seems that he'll do anything for her. His loyalty to her and the warnings we got from her from those youkai women, doesn't that prove how dangerous she is? That Tomoe is definitely dangerous and very cunning as well. We should watch our backs for her," replied Rin as she unraveled the second scroll on her lap, "What a coincidence. This scrolls talks about Akira. It says he that he also comes from an inbreeding family, one of black lions anyway. He's been Tomoe's lover ever since he was…2 years old?! That doesn't sound right. How can that be? Maybe I'm reading this wrong…"

"You aren't reading it wrong Rin. Each poodle youkai is assigned a lover until they find a mate. As soon as they turn 2, they get to choose their lover out of a group of royal youkai that are around their age. Getting a lover at such a young age and up until they find a mate, helps train them so that they are able to please their future mates," stated Sesshoumaru in disgust.

"Well this just gets better and better, doesn't it? An insane bitch who thinks you're her destined mate and who has a disturbing lover. Both lovers coming from inbreeding families, one whose family line tends to go insane and are aggressive about their property, the other being just disturbing cheerful people. This is all just fucking great," muttered Inuyasha. 

"Inuyasha-sama, you really mustn't use such foul language all the time," commented Rin as Inuyasha continued to rant and cuss.

"Just ignore him Rin. He cusses all the time," told Shippou to Rin as he waved his hand as if he were waving away Inuyasha's foul words, "What about the other scrolls, Rin? What do they say?"

"Hmm," muttered Rin as she unraveled the other scrolls, "These other scrolls are about…"

"Are you guys still in here? I am sorry to disturb you Sesshoumaru-sama, but it is already dark outside. One of the servants informed me that you were here with the others. The cook wants to know if you would like to eat here, in your rooms, or in the dining room?" asked Jaken who had returned from the stables.

"Tell him, we'll be eating in the dining rooms," ordered Sesshoumaru, "Rin…"

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin, who looked up from the scrolls and her seat to look into Sesshoumaru's amber eyes.

"Put the scrolls away," commanded Sesshoumaru as he looked back at her honey brown eyes.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," obeyed Rin as she rolled back the scrolls.

Sesshoumaru watched as she slowly rolled back the scrolls with some reluctance. He mentally sighed and mentally berated himself for being weak before he said, "Bring them to your room and then go to the dining hall. After dinner, you may read the scrolls. Later you may tell us about your readings and we may discuss further on these findings. For now, let us eat dinner. We did just have a long journey."

Rin smiled in delight at Sesshoumaru and Sesshoumaru's heart warmed up at her smile. His eyes warmed up as well as he watched Rin eagerly put away the scrolls. She bowed her head at Sesshoumaru and the others before she ran off with the scrolls to her room to read later. She grabbed Shippou along with her to show him her room. Sesshoumaru glared at this, but allowed Rin to drag off Shippou. He knew that she only wanted to show off her room to him since she never really had any opportunities to do so, but he still felt jealous and angry. Sesshoumaru then turned his attentions back at Inuyasha and Jaken.

"Is she always so eager to read long, boring scrolls?" asked Inuyasha to Jaken.

"Rin has always enjoyed learning. She loves reading books, scrolls, and just about everything else. She also enjoys watching nature and being around our Sesshoumaru-sama as well," answered Jaken.

"That sounds just like Shippou here…well except that last part about hanging out with Sesshoumaru," laughed Inuyasha, "He does enjoy being with me though."

"Then he and Rin have much in common," commented Jaken. Sesshoumaru glared at this and looked angrily at where Rin had dragged off Shippou.

"That's why they're best friends. They have so much in common," remarked a somewhat worried Inuyasha as he observed Sesshoumaru's jealous behavior, "Their guardians happen to be brothers. They're both wards to inu lords. They had similar childhoods and enjoy common things. They're practically twins, a male and a female one anyway."

"Those two should marry each other then if they can relate to each other and enjoy each other's company so well," remarked Jaken. Sesshoumaru became even more infuriated at this and Inuyasha became even more worried. Jaken, who was oblivious to this, continued to talk about how cute the two would be if they became a couple.

Inuyasha interrupted Jaken by saying, "But that's the problem. They're _too_ similar. Remember opposites attract. They may enjoy hanging out with each other, but the closest those two can be is being just the best of friends."

"You are much wiser than I thought, Inuyasha. However, I do not understand this opposite attracts theory," remarked Jaken. 

Sesshoumaru stood the two and listened to their conversation. He did not join in the conversation; rather he was interested in what Inuyasha had to stay. Inuyasha knew this so he chose his words wisely (or as wisely as Inuyasha could chose). He replied with, "You know the yin and yang theory right? Well, it's ok for two people to have some same interests, but they can't have all the same interests…life wouldn't be interesting that way. Would you want to have a mate that you knew everything about? That enjoyed doing everything you do? You wouldn't be able to annoy your mate if that were true. I mean if you try annoying your mate, you'll also annoy yourself. Am I making any sense?"

Jaken shook his head and even Sesshoumaru had to agree with Jaken: What was Inuyasha trying to say? Inuyasha sighed and slowly shook his head, "Never mind. You'll understand me when you find your mate or find someone you're really attracted to."

Both Jaken and Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha in confusion (though in Sesshoumaru's case, a lot less obvious). Jaken merely shook his head again and said, "As interesting as your theory is, Inuyasha. I must attend to dinner." Jaken then bowed to Sesshoumaru before scurrying down the stairs towards the kitchen.

"Let us go to our quarters and take a bath before heading getting out dinner," suggested Sesshoumaru to Inuyasha as he started heading toward his room.

"Where am I staying anyway?" asked Inuyasha as he followed behind Sesshoumaru's footsteps.

"In your old room of course, right across my room," replied Sesshoumaru obviously.

"Oh," said Inuyasha as he thought about the arrangements. He then asked, "What about Shippou? Where is he staying?"

"The room next to yours. Rin would have shown him his room already…seeing that her own room is across from him," retorted Sesshoumaru. His eyes then became cold when he then added to his statement, a warning to Inuyasha, "And watch your ward, Inuyasha. For Rin's room is right next to mine. If I should catch one whiff of his scent in Rin's room at inappropriate times, I will kill him."

Sesshoumaru then walked into his room and somewhat slammed the door, leaving Inuyasha pondering about his warning.


	8. Youkai Lessons to Learn

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized.

**__**

Chapter 7: Youkai Lessons to learn

At the large dining hall, dinner was served quickly and the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Everyone consumed his or her dinner politely and quietly, even Inuyasha. Everyone had something in their minds that they were thinking about. Each of them was thinking about the day's events. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were worried, especially Inuyasha for obvious reasons. Rin and Shippou were quiet because their guardians were quiet. After dinner, they bid each other "good night" (except Sesshoumaru, he just nodded) before heading to their rooms for their well-deserved rest.

__

The next day

A small beam of light could be seen through the window. Rin stretched her arms in the air and yawned. It was another beautiful day. As Rin got up and washed her face, she couldn't help but notice the pile of scrolls next to her bed. She was too tired last night to read them so tonight she planned to start getting through the scrolls and start learning. She chose her kimono for the day, which was a nice soft yellow color with orange flowers.

As she brushed her hair and tied them up into a low ponytail, she recalled the days of her childhood when she would only tie up a random bunch of her hair. She giggled at those memories of when she didn't know how to take care of her hair and therefore always had to keep it short. She was glad that she knew how to care for it now or else she wouldn't be able to have the nice long hair she had now. Of course, her hair would never be as beautiful or soft as Sesshoumaru's hair, which was beautiful blueish white and felt like silk. Rin looked at the mirror at her own hair. She remembered how Sesshoumaru would brush her hair every night and how she would help him do the same to his hair. For someone who couldn't take of her own hair, she could definitely take care of another's.

When Rin was done with her hair, she stepped out of her room and headed straight for the garden. She needed to see if there were any flowers left in the garden to put in her room. When she reached the garden, she saw a distinctively tall white figure standing beneath the now dead looking sakura tree.

"Ohayo! Sesshoumaru-sama!" cried Rin as she ran up to greet her master good morning. Sesshoumaru nodded his head in greeting and continued to stare up at the tree.

Every morning, Rin would go out to pick flowers in the garden. And every morning, Sesshoumaru would stand and stare at the sakura tree. Rin would say good morning and Sesshoumaru would greet her back in his own way. Then Rin would pick some flowers before standing next to Sesshoumaru in a comfortable silence. After awhile Rin would begin talking about something and Sesshoumaru would nod once and awhile and might make a comment about it. It was a comfortable and enjoyable routine for the both of them every morning. However, today was different as Rin decided to talk to Sesshoumaru first before picking her flowers.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin. Sesshoumaru nodded his head again to show he was listening before Rin began again, "Ano…I was wondering what we are suppose to do today? Do you want to start planning today or umm…tomorrow? And what about Inuyasha-oneesan and Shippou-kun? Aren't they suppose to be up now? Do they not have lessons to attend to?"

Sesshoumaru stood quietly for awhile and thought about Rin's sudden stream of questions before answering, "I thought we could use a bit of a break today before planning the ball. It has been awhile since we were back. As for Inuyasha and his ward…they are to have their lessons today. A servant has already been sent to wake them up."

As soon as Sesshoumaru had said that, a loud shout could be heard coming from the bedrooms. A soaking wet Inuyasha and a laughing Shippou could be seen walking their way. Inuyasha glared at his laughing ward until Inuyasha punched Shippou's head, in which Shippou was then forced to nurse his head instead of his laughter. Rin couldn't help, but giggle at the scene. Sesshoumaru glanced at the giggling Rin before looking back at his soaked brother and couldn't help but smirk. It was a hilarious scene after all and Rin looked adorable trying to hide her joyful giggles.

"What was the meaning of sending a servant to throw water at me to wake me up?!" demanded a furious Inuyasha. A very young tanuki youkai could be seen walking cautiously behind him, his head lowered in fright.

"Ano…Sesshoumaru-sama. Nothing else seemed to wake up Inuyasha-sama. Shippou-sama said that the best way to wake up Inuyasha-sama was to throw water at him…so I did. I did not mean to make him so angry. I was merely following your orders to wake him, Sesshoumaru-sama," said the nervous male youkai.

"Didn't mean to make me mad?! Of course I'll be mad. I'm soaked! Why I outta…" threatened Inuyasha as he shook his fist at the cringing tanuki.

"Stop it Inuyasha-oneesan. It's ok Taki. You were just following your orders. You can leave now. It's alright. I'll make sure Inuyasha-oneesan won't hurt you," assured Rin as she kneeled down next to the little youkai who was shaking with fright and sniffling, trying not to cry. Taki nodded his little kawaii masked face before he scampered away.

"Inuyasha-oneesan! For shame! You shouldn't have scared Taki so! He's only 4 years old!" scolded Rin at Inuyasha. Rin narrowed her eyes and her face was red with anger. Her voice began to rise as the now scared-looking Inuyasha looked at her; he had never seen Rin so angry before. Rin pointed her finger at the backing away Inuyasha and she continued to scold him on his immature and frightening behaviour to a young child. Shippou giggled at the scene until Rin turned her finger at him and began to scold him for his suggestion in pouring water on Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked relieved in the background, glad that Rin has stopped scolding him and had moved on. Inuyasha couldn't help, but grin at the cornered Shippou who he felt deserved Rin's angry finger. However, Inuyasha's victory was short-lived as Shippou bumped next to him and Rin began to yell at the both of them at the same time.

Sesshoumaru watched with amusement in his eyes as Rin screamed at the two. He knew that Rin cared a lot about the servants and was especially fond of children whether they were youkai or not. He couldn't help but think what a wonderful mother she would be for their children, seeing as she was so protective of kids.

When Rin was done with her ranting and had finished blowing steam, she immediately reverted to being her normal, calm, happy self. She smiled at Sesshoumaru and asked him they should head back in for breakfast, completely ignoring Inuyasha and Shippou. Sesshoumaru, who understood Rin's sudden change in behaviour, nodded and the two headed back into the castle. Inuyasha and Shippou could only watch with their mouths open at her sudden change of moods. One of the servants, the red squirrel youkai from the day before who had delivered the scrolls to them, walked up to the gaping two. He had watched the entire scenario and decided that he should explain to them his lady's behaviour.

"Rin-sama is very protective of her servants and especially the children. She completely adores children and is normally not that short-tempered. She is usually calm and happy. Only when something threatens those she cares about does she get protective," explained the young bushy-tailed male. He also added, without thinking, "We are all fond of our Rin-sama. We think that Rin-sama will make a great mother someday and will be a great mate for our Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I would have thought you youkai would disapprove of the two," snapped Inuyasha, who recalled the days when these same servants looked down on him.

"We would if we had never met Rin-sama, but we have cared for her since she was but a young pup. She has a way of melting even the coldest of hearts as you can see in our Sesshoumaru-sama. He has never been this happy since his father was killed. For that we are very grateful to her. Although Sesshoumaru-sama has spoiled her, she is not at all snobbish like other royalty would be. Instead she cares for everyone, even us lowly servants. She learns quickly, is a skilled fighter, and actually quite strong for a human. She is perfect for our Sesshoumaru-sama," commented the little squirrel. Inuyasha and Shippou looked at the youkai, amazed that the servants knew so much about their masters just by observation.

"Excuse me, but was there a reason for you to come? Not that I didn't enjoy the story and compliments about Rin, I did. It's just that…well…I would have thought that all the servants in this household had something they had to do, some sort of chore required of them for the day," commented Shippou.

"Oh, but I do have something to do Shippou-sama," chirped the squirrel, "I, your humble servant Taka, was ordered by Sesshoumaru-sama to teach you about the ways of the youkai."

Now Inuyasha and Shippou could only stare in shock, their jaws hitting the ground, as they stared at their new teacher. As Inuyasha and Shippou stared at him in disbelief, they finally realized the full impact of his words. Their new teacher was a good head shorter than Shippou and looked kawaii enough to be considered a stuffed animal if he wasn't so energetic. His voice sounded warm, but kind of high for a male's voice. His eyes were large and were the colored of rich brown almonds. His fur was a bright red and his tail was so bushy, it looked like a soft pillow. Despite the fact that he was probably a century older than they were, it was hard to believe that this little guy was Inuyasha's and Shippou's new teacher.

"If you would be so kind as to follow me Inuyasha-sama and Shippou-sama. We will begin our lessons right away," said Taka as he began walking toward the castle in the opposite direction of Sesshoumaru and Rin.

"What about breakfast? I'm starving. Not to mention…I'm still soaked," complained Inuyasha.

"Sesshoumaru-sama wanted Inuyasha-sama and Shippou-sama to begin their lessons in the morning starting with breakfast etiquette. As for the clothes, there is a spare pair in the room we are heading toward. Inuyasha-sama can change there," replied Taka as he continued to lead the way.

"Taka-sensei, you can just call me Shippou and Inuyasha Inuyasha. You are our sensei after all and it would be weird to have you call us –sama," suggested Shippou as he followed Taka with a grumbling Inuyasha next to him.

"I should not do that Shippou-sama because that would be disrespectful, but if Shippou-sama and Inuyasha-sama insists…" started Take in thought as he walked.

"We do…ne Inuyasha?" said Shippou as he nudged Inuyasha.

Inuyasha who was not really paying much attention, replied, "Huh? Oh sure, whatever."

"Then it's agreed," chirped Shippou.

"Very well, Shippou-sam…I mean Shippou. Let us head toward the brown room to begin the lessons," replied Taka as he opened the brown door to a giant room. Inuyasha and Shippou looked at each other in confusion. _What kind of room was called the brown room?_

__

Later that evening (after dinner)

An exhausted Inuyasha and Shippou plopped down on the chairs of the tearoom where Sesshoumaru and Rin were seated. The two had gone through a very tiring day, trying their best to memorize every complicated aspect of royal youkai behaviour. They would have never thought that such a little squirrel youkai could be so dangerous. Although Taka looked very adorable and kind, he was very strict and had made Inuyasha and Shippou repeat everything until things were done right. He never yelled at them or threatened them, but his soft voice was just as scary. Inuyasha and Shippou hoped that they never had to make so many mistakes again.

And the brown room! Now they knew why it was called that. The room was absolutely hideous! Its walls were a disgusting dung-brown color. The items in the room were very old. And although they were well polished and taken care of, the furniture and the paintings in the room were so ugly, it was hard not to look at them and not puke. Whoever had designed the room had no taste or sense of style at all. Both Inuyasha and Shippou were sure that the room had been used as a room for torture before, for it was unbearable to be in there for long. The fact that Taka was able to teach in such a room without being affected at all made them respect Taka and fear him at the same time. How could anyone not be affected by the room?

As the two laid on the chair exhausted, Sesshoumaru and Rin were calmly sipping their tea. Rin watched as the two canine youkai gasped for air; the whole scenario amused her. It had only been the first day and already the two were exhausted. Rin couldn't help but giggle at the two. The two being watched just glared at her.

"I take it your first day of learning went well?" teased a giggling Rin.

"It was torture," complained Inuyasha as he let his head fall back on the chair. A loud thump was heard as his head collided with the chair.

"And what did you do the entire day? Whatever you did must be better than what we've been through," stated a tired Shippou as he laid still on his chair.

"Well, Sesshoumaru-sama and I just walked around the castle today to make sure everything was alright and running as it should be. Tomorrow we'll be discussing about the ball. Today was making sure everything is alright day," explained Rin who was happy she was able to spend the whole day with her beloved Sesshoumaru-sama.

"Lucky you," replied Inuyasha sarcastically. Rin merely smiled at this and finished her cup of tea. She then stood up from her chair and smoothed out her kimono before turning toward the three sitting youkai.

"If you would excuse me, Sesshoumaru-sama, Inuyasha-onnesan, and Shippou-kun. I would like to head back to my room now to read through those scrolls," declared Rin as she bowed her head at the three and left the room. As soon as Rin left the room, two pairs of eyes were turned at the youkai lord who was calmly staring at the fire.

"Well, Sesshoumaru. When are you finally going to ask her to be your mate?" asked a curious and suddenly re-energized Inuyasha with a twinkle in his golden eyes.

"…" was Sesshoumaru's silent answer.

"You should at least tell her the situation and see if she will accept it," suggested Inuyasha, who was actually thinking for once.

"And how am I suppose to do that? What if she…rejects me?" snapped Sesshoumaru, as he whispered silently the last two words. The two other youkai in the room could obviously hear him, but the words were still quite quiet, even for them.

"You could always ask her indirectly," suggested Shippou to Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru thought about the kitsune's suggestion and thought that it might be worth a shot. As Sesshoumaru was thinking about Shippou's suggestion, Inuyasha and Shippou slowly stood up from their chairs.

"Well, I think we should call it a day. See yah tomorrow!" interrupted Inuyasha as he and Shippou headed to their respective rooms, leaving Sesshoumaru to his thoughts.

__

Later that night

After an hour of thinking, half the time in the tearoom and the other half in his private bath, Sesshoumaru had finally made a decision about Rin. Sesshoumaru rang up for Taka and had ordered him to get a certain scroll. When Taka returned, Sesshoumaru had then ordered him to ask Rin to come to his chambers.

As Taka went to retrieve Rin, Sesshoumaru gently took out a beautiful sakura flower from his kimono. He had picked it up while he was fighting with Inuyasha; he did not want such a beautiful flower to be ruined during the battle for it had reminded him of Rin: soft, beautiful, and delicate. As he looked at the flower, Sesshoumaru found it a bit odd that it had not begun to drop any of its petals after being in his clothes for so long. He quickly ended that line of thought as knocking could be heard outside his door. Sesshoumaru quickly, but gently placed the flower in the scroll as his chamber door was slowly opened.

"Did you call for me, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked a puzzled Rin as she approached Sesshoumaru.

"Here's one more scroll for you to read about Rin," said Sesshoumaru as he handed the scroll to Rin. Sesshoumaru watched as Rin's delicate and soft hand took the scroll from his clawed one. He subtly sniffed Rin's scent which smelled like a mixture of flowers, mainly sakura, and a something that was uniquely Rin.

"If that is all Sesshoumaru-sama, I will be leaving now," declared Rin. Sesshoumaru nodded his head and Rin bowed her head before she turned around and left his chambers. As soon as Rin closed the door, Sesshoumaru gave out a soft sigh. It was getting harder and harder to control his urges when Rin was nearby…especially when she did not tie her sleeping clothes as tightly as she should have.


	9. Some Planning, Teasing, and Affection

****

500 Years and Waiting

__

By swirly87

Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized.

**__**

Chapter 8: Some Planning, Some Teasing, and Some Affection

The next morning, everyone went his or her separate ways. Inuyasha and Shippou had to go to their new youkai classes while Sesshoumaru and Rin had to discuss the planning of the ball. Sesshoumaru and Rin were on one side of the castle while Inuyasha and Shippou were at the other side. Frustrated and loud cursing could be heard from Inuyasha's side of the castle as well as the sound of breaking items.

"You don't suppose Inuyasha-oneesan has broken anything valuable do you Sesshoumaru-sama? It seems as if he is not enjoying his lessons very well," commented Rin as she and Sesshoumaru were walking to Sesshoumaru's den to discuss the upcoming ball's plan.

"He is not suppose to enjoy it," replied Sesshoumaru, "As for anything of value…the room they are assigned to is the brown room."

"Oh, well in that case we don't have to worry about a thing," said Rin as she recalled all the ugly and cheap junk in the room. Images of ugly figurines, vases, furniture, and glass that previous inu lords had collected and placed in that room filled her head. She remembered the first time she had entered the room and how she wanted to destroy all the nasty and ugly junk that didn't seem to belong in such a beautiful castle. As for the room itself, Rin had wanted to repaint that room since it was a horrible dung brown color which the room was named after. Rin had often wondered why Sesshoumaru kept all that junk in that room and had never bothered to throw things away.

As if he read her mind, Sesshoumaru said, "The room is used to hold gifts from human and youkai that my family found repulsive, but could not throw away without disrespecting the human or youkai that gave them."

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru in surprise. She had not expected him to give her the answer she wanted especially since she had not even asked the question. Sesshoumaru merely glanced down at her for a moment before he stopped in front of his den door and opened it. Rin walked through the door as Sesshoumaru closed it behind her. The two went straight into the den and sat down on the two large pillows in the room. A plate of food, two cups, a pot of hot tea, empty scrolls, a brush, and an inkbottle could be found between the pillows.

"I told Inuyasha that the ball is to be held in two weeks, but I have changed my mind and have decided to have it in four. Two weeks is too short of a notice for the youkai lords and two short for Inuyasha to learn all his manners," explained Sesshoumaru as he went straight to the point.

"How long will this event be, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin as she picked up a brush and dipped it in the inkbottle.

"About a week. There will be about 50 or so guests. They will be staying in the guest wing. There is to be a welcoming dinner on the first night. For the next 5 days, there will be events of entertainment. On the last day, will be the night in which I announced that Inuyasha will be my heir," answered Sesshoumaru. Rin wrote all the information down one of the scrolls.

"What sort of events do you wish to have Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin.

"That Rin is up to you. I do not really care about what you plan. I trust that you will plan it well and that the guests will enjoy it," answered Sesshoumaru as he sipped his tea. Rin blushed at his compliment and Sesshoumaru could not help but think she looked adorable when she blushed. As Rin sipped her tea, she thought about the different events that could be planned.

"Would you mind having tournaments and contests, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin; "We could have martial arts tournaments, archery tournaments, sword-fighting tournaments, cooking contests, sewing contests, and other types of competition. We can also have performances like plays, singing, and dancing to entertain them."

"That is fine," answered Sesshoumaru. _Tournaments and other types of competition huh? Excellent idea, Rin. That way I can see the skills of my fellow youkai lords and my subjects._ Thought Sesshoumaru.

"As for the theme, I think winter will be the best theme considering it will be winter by the time it shall begin," commented Rin.

"Very well then. I shall give you the guest list tomorrow Rin. Will you be able to plan the rest, Rin?" asked Sesshoumaru as he picked up his cup of tea and looked at her for her response.

"Of course Sesshoumaru-sama. I'll just inform you about it once and awhile if that is alright with you," replied Rin. Sesshoumaru nodded his head and the two continued drinking their tea in comfortable silence although once and awhile one of them would stare at the other for a second or two. Suddenly Rin recalled something that she had found last night, before she went to sleep. She put her hand inside her kimono and took out a single cherry blossom in full bloom, a rare flower to be found at that time of year. It had a delightfully pink color and it smelled wonderful. The aroma from the flower filled the room as soon as Rin took it out. Sesshoumaru stared at the flower and looked expectantly at Rin as she placed it in front of her. Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru and said, "I found this in one of the scrolls, Sesshoumaru-sama. I thought it was odd to find such a flower at this time of year in that scroll, especially since that scroll was about the requirements of a inu youkai lord's mate and the mating ritual itself. Perhaps you can tell me why it was there, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"It was there because I left it there. It is for you, do you not like the flower, Rin?" inquired Sesshoumaru as he looked up from his tea at Rin, waiting for her reaction.

"Of…of…of course, Sess…Sesshoumaru-sssama," stammered a blushing Rin. Sesshoumaru smirked behind his cup of tea at her stammering state. "But why would Sesshoumaru-sama place the flower for Rin in that scroll? Why that particular scroll?" asked Rin as she regained her composure.

_It's now or never. _Thought Sesshoumaru. "Because Rin, I thought you might like the flower. As for it being in that particular scroll…" _Here goes nothing._ "…I wanted you to know what to expect." _Was that pathetic or what? I'm worst that that brother of mine._

"Expect? Expect what?" asked a confused Rin as she stared at Sesshoumaru-sama for answers.

"Rin, as you know I have to have a mate that is a full-blooded youkai," said Sesshoumaru, Rin merely nodded at this while sadness crept in her eyes as she expected some sort of rejection from him, "However, there is a problem."

"What is the problem, Sesshoumaru-sama?" asked Rin. _Has Sesshoumaru found his mate? Who is she? How come I have never heard about her before?_ Thought an insecure Rin.

"The one I want for my mate is not a full-blooded youkai," answered Sesshoumaru as he looked at the curious and somewhat depressed Rin. He couldn't help, but mentally smirk at this as he noticed her growing jealousy at the unnamed possible mate.

"She isn't? What is she? Who is this person?" asked Rin as her eyes narrowed in jealousy and suspicion.

"She is human," replied Sesshoumaru, "A human I am very fond of and have known for a very long time." Sesshoumaru couldn't help, but smirk even more as Rin became more confused and insecure.

"Human? Have I met her before?" asked Rin, unaware that he was talking about her.

"You can say you have met her before," teased Sesshoumaru who was enjoying torturing the clueless Rin a bit.

"If you want her for a mate, what is the problem?" asked Rin, who had decided to accept this person if Sesshoumaru cared a lot for her and made him happy.

"Like I said, she is human. My mate has to be a full-blooded youkai. I plan to make her a full-blooded youkai by finding a spell or magic of some sort. However, I do not know if she wants to be my mate or not or if she is even willing to give up her humanity to be a youkai for me," stated Sesshoumaru as he asked Rin indirectly.

"If she cares about you enough, of course she will! Who wouldn't want to be with someone they love forever?!" exclaimed Rin.

"But I do not know whether she loves me or not," confessed Sesshoumaru silently.

Rin, who had never heard her master sound so dejected before, tried to cheer him up despite feeling rather dejected herself.

"Then you should ask her to be sure. You'll never know until you try," said Rin._ I should try to follow my own advice_. Thought Rin.

Sesshoumaru stared at Rin and slightly lifted one of his eyebrows as if he was questioning her reasoning.

"What I'm trying to say here, Sesshoumaru-sama, is that you should ask her anyway. The worst that can happen is that she rejects you. You may have a broken heart, but at least you'll know. That way you could always mend that heart and move on," explained Rin as if she was totally sure about everything, although she herself didn't feel that sure of her explanation.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" asked Sesshoumaru in a slightly teasing manner, although Rin didn't notice the teasing bit because she was too absorbed in her own emotions to notice.

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama!" chirped a fake-smiling Rin.

Sesshoumaru knew that Rin was faking her smiling, but he couldn't help but continue to torture her. _At least up to a certain point anyway._ Thought Sesshoumaru. He knew now that Rin had serious feelings for him because of her jealous reactions. He was never exactly sure if Rin had feelings for him or not because there were so little opportunities to make Rin jealous. Most of their time was spent traveling and the few females that they had met, he had pushed them away or had scared them away with his cold attitude.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Are you…going to ask that woman soon?" asked a nervous and slightly distraught Rin.

"Hai," replied Sesshoumaru softly.

"When?" asked a slightly sad-looking Rin.

"Now," declared Sesshoumaru as he took Rin's hands into his own. "Rin, will you be willing to wait while I look for that spell? Will you be patient enough? Can you stand being ignored by me in front of other youkai? Can you be that strong and patient? Will you be willing to become my future mate?" asked Sesshoumaru in a silent whisper. Rin heard him and looked at him in shock. _He was talking about me the whole time!_

"Sesshoumaru-sama…of course I will!" exclaimed a happy and crying Rin as she flung her arms around him. Sesshoumaru gently hugged her back, carefully holding her with his claws. As she hugged him, Rin couldn't help but ask, "But Sesshoumaru-sama, why didn't you just tell me before…instead of just talking in circles and making me so…"

"Jealous? Because it was fun torturing you so," answered a slightly smirking Sesshoumaru.

"Mou! That was so mean Sesshoumaru-sama!" exclaimed Rin as she gently pushed against him.

"There's something more I have to tell you though, Rin," voiced a serious Sesshoumaru after hugging Rin for a few moments, "I can not proclaim you as my desired mate until I have made you a full-blooded youkai. I do not know how long that will take. It may take years or decades. I may even have to wait until the next time you are reborn. Until then, I will have to court you in secret. That means I have to ignore you sometimes in front of others. That may be a bit hard on you. Can you be that strong and patient? Are you able to handle that?"

"I can handle anything as long as I can be with my Sesshoumaru-sama! I don't care if it takes years, decades, or centuries as long as I'm with you. You do not realize how happy I am to hear you say that you want me for your mate!" exclaimed a watery-eyed Rin.

"Then I am happy, Rin," stated Sesshoumaru as he looked at the sniffling Rin.

"You probably think I look really unattractive right now with my runny nose and teary eyes, ne Sesshoumaru-sama?" muttered Rin softly. Sesshoumaru merely smiled and gently used one of his claws to tip Rin's chin so that she could look into his eyes.

"You're always beautiful to me, Rin," said Sesshoumaru. Rin could only gasp in surprise as he lowered his face to hers. He gently licked her away her tears and then his mouth descended upon her lips. His mouth caressed her mouth. His tongue pushed against her mouth, asking her permission to enter. As soon as Rin opened her mouth to let his tongue in, it thrust through and what started out as a gentle and chaste kiss became a deep passionate one. Rin could only moan in ecstasy as his tongue explored her mouth throughly. She had never been kissed before. Although she had imagined herself kissing Sesshoumaru many times before, she had never imagined it to feel this good. _If the kiss is this wonderful…I wonder about the…._

Sesshoumaru felt himself begin to harden at the sound of Rin's moans. He knew that if he continued to kiss her like this, he might not be able to stop himself so he pulled away his mouth. Rin moaned in disappointment when he did. Sesshoumaru was tempted to place his mouth back to hers after hearing that last moan. Both he and Rin were breathing a bit hard; both needing air after such a long and passionate kiss.

Sesshoumaru looked at the gasping Rin apologetically and said, "I'm sorry if that was too soon for you, Rin. I know that was your first kiss, but I meant it to be only a quick and chaste kiss. I did not realize it would be so…"

"It's quite alright Sesshoumaru-sama. I really…enjoyed it," said a really red Rin, her cheeks flaming from the kiss and from shyness, "I hope that Sesshoumaru-sama would give Rin a lot more of those kind of kisses later."

Sesshoumaru smirked at this before replying huskily, "Do not worry Rin. There will be plenty of those later." Rin's face, if possible, turned even redder. A very masculine chuckle sent warm vibes down Rin's back. Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru with astonishment, having never heard him chuckle before, never believing that he could even chuckle. Oh she knew he could smirk, maybe smile a bit, but chuckle? Rin couldn't help but wish that he would chuckle more; perhaps he would even laugh eventually?

Sesshoumaru finally stopped chuckling after noticing Rin staring at him in surprise. He smiled at her as he rose from his seat, making Rin even weaker in the knees, his smile bright, warm, and very handsome. Seeing as she couldn't seem to move at the moment, Sesshoumaru lifted her up in his arms and carried her.

"Ano…does Sesshoumaru-sama really have to lift me up? I think I can walk on my own," muttered an embarrassed Rin.

"I enjoy carrying you, Rin," said Sesshoumaru as continued to carry her outside into the garden.

"But Sesshoumaru-sama, what happens if anyone sees us?" whispered Rin as she looked around her for anyone else that could be watching them.

"The servants in the household and our guests at the moment are already aware of our relationship. We need only to worry when our other guests start to arrive. Until then, I wish to enjoy our time together seeing as we won't have that much privacy when the guests arrive in four weeks," answered Sesshoumaru as he set Rin down on his lap as he sat below the sakura tree that they had stood below the morning before.

"Oh…How did the servants know? Does Jaken know? What about Inuyasha and Shippou?" asked a curious Rin.

"Apparently the servants, Inuyasha, and Shippou were already aware of our attraction to each other. Only Jaken does not know, but he will soon. You need not worry koishi, he nor Inuyasha nor his ward nor the servants will tell. You know how loyal Jaken and the other servants are to me," assured Sesshoumaru as he began to nuzzle Rin's neck.

Rin began to blush again, surprised at how affectionate Sesshoumaru was being and so quickly too! Her mind was filled with questions on why he was being that way. Sesshoumaru noticing her quietness turned her around toward him and looked at her.

"Is something the matter, koishi?" asked a concerned Sesshoumaru.

"Umm…it's nothing…really," answered the flustered Rin. Sesshoumaru looked at her in disbelief and waited for her true answer. Rin, knowing that Sesshoumaru didn't believe her, sighed and asked, "I was just wondering on why you're suddenly so affectionate with me and talking to me so much. It's not that I don't like it. I do, I really do. It just seems kind of odd, especially for you."

Sesshoumaru pondered on her words and realized that he was moving a bit quickly. She had never, after all, had someone to court her (since he would of course drive them away from her) especially an inu youkai. Of course, she would not understand inu customs. He looked at Rin, who was expecting an answer from him, and said, "We, inu youkai, are naturally very affectionate with those we care about. When we find someone we wish to mate and they agree to be our mate, we are naturally very happy. We start to open up to them and show them our true selves. We become very affectionate and very possessive of our future mates as soon as they agree to be our mates. So please forgive me if I get aggressive with any male coming near you. You'll understand more if you had finished reading that scroll with the flower I gave you."

Rin, if possible, blushed even more in embarrassment for not having finished reading that scroll. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smirk at this. He was pleased with himself for having made Rin blush so much in such a short amount of time. He then noticed, however, that Rin was facing him and was sitting on his cough and was practically straddling him without knowing it. Upon realizing the dangerous situation, Sesshoumaru quickly lifted Rin up and carried her toward the brown room. He made sure that Rin was carried in such a way that she would not feel his slight discomfort. He did not want Rin to know just yet how much she affected him. Plus, as he walked toward the brown room, he wanted to see how well his brother's lessons were going. Perhaps the idiotic antics of his brother would make him forget his little…or rather big problem.


	10. Skipping Classes and Interesting Discuss...

****

500 Years and Waiting

By swirly87

Disclaimer: Sesshoumaru, Rin, and all characters of Inuyasha are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All characters that are mentioned in this story, but are not part of Inuyasha are either my creations or are characters that have been changed a bit from their respected anime. This includes the characters of Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime that is recognized.

Author's Notes: I am SOOOO sorry for not updating for such a long time. I also love the reviews that were written and I feel so horrible for not updating sooner. I had this chapter for awhile, but my friend just didn't have the time to pick it up. I think I mentioned that I wrote this fanfic for my friend so she gets the first dibs on the chapters. So until she gets them, I can't post them. That's why I am so sorry for the delay. I'll try to update sooner, ok?

****

Chapter 9: Skipping Classes and Interesting Discussions

_This has to be a dream. It just can't be possible._ She thought. For the past week, ever since Sesshoumaru had told her that he wanted her to be his mate, he acted as if he was besotted with her. Oh, he would leave her side to do the things taiyoukai do, but during the times he didn't have to do paperwork or rule over his lands, he would spend it all with her. Rin enjoyed the time she got to spend with him, but she just couldn't help but wonder why. She remembered asking Sesshoumaru the day before and blushed.

The day before…

"Sesshoumaru-sama, do you think that we are moving this relationship a bit too fast? Shouldn't we slowly move things along? I mean we just started courting a few days ago," gasped out Rin after a particularly long kiss with Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru looked at her. He pondered on her question or at least what he thought she was asking him. After only a moment of thinking about it, he looked at her and answered, "No."

Rin replied, as expected, with a "Why?"

"People court to know each other better," started Sesshoumaru. Rin nodded at this before he continued, "We have known each other for more than a decade. You, Rin, probably know me better than anyone else does. We've also declared our love to each other. We can skip the introduction and holding hands part considering we've been holding hands ever since you were but a child. We can slow things down though if you think we are rushing in to quickly. Do you want to Rin?"

Rin shook her head. She enjoyed their passionate kisses. No way in hell was she going to wait and slowly move things along. Heck she waited years for his declaration of love and those sinful kisses. She had only asked him because she was curious.

Sesshoumaru smiled, with a mischievous glint in his smothering amber eyes. "Good, that answers that question," he murmured as he nuzzled her neck slowly up to her mouth, "Now where were we?"

Rin could only open her mouth as Sesshoumaru descended upon her lips and devoured her.

Rin's face was a deep red as she recalled that memory. _It seems that lately I have been receiving a lot of kisses._ She thought. _Sesshoumaru is certainly impatient and demanding. It almost seems he can't have enough kisses. He's like an affectionate puppy._ Rin giggled at the thought since technically speaking, Sesshoumaru _was_ a dog.

"What's so funny?" asked a curious Inuyasha as he entered the room. Rin gasped in surprise. She had been so into her thoughts that she had not noticed him entering. _I didn't even detect him. I must be getting rusty…or too…_Rin didn't get to finish that thought as Inuyasha asked her the question again.

"It's…it's…nuh…nuh…nothing. I…I…I…was just…recalling something," stammered Rin. Inuyasha raised one eyebrow in skepticism.

"Willing to share that memory?" asked Inuyasha. Rin quickly shook her head, her cheeks turning a deeper red. Inuyasha just smirked, so similar to a certain someone else's smirk.

"What are you doing in here anyway? Shouldn't you be learning youkai etiquette right now?" inquired Rin as she quickly recovered from her embarrassed state.

"I'm taking a break," responded Inuyasha. Rin looked at him incredulously.

"Sesshoumaru-sama will be mad if you don't go," commented Rin. He merely shrugged his shoulders and looked outside as if he didn't care if his older brother got mad at him. Rin sighed and shook her head. She knew it was futile to try to bring him back to the classroom considering she knew he was like Sesshoumaru in that they were both horribly stubborn to not do things they didn't want to do.

"So…whatcha doing?" asked Inuyasha as he looked over his shoulder at Rin and the paperwork she held.

"I've already sent out the letters to the guests and ordered the supplies needed for the event. All we have to do is wait for the supplies to arrive so that we can start decorating and preparing. Right now, I'm just checking my math and see if I added up the amount of money needed for the ball is accurate. As soon as I'm done adding and subtracting, I'm going to send this bill to Sesshoumaru," explained Rin as she mentally added and subtracted the numbers. After scribbling some numbers and looking at her piece of paper, she rubber the temples of her head and sighed. "It would have been easier if Sesshoumaru-sama had told me a limit on which to spend the money, but he just told me to spend as much as I needed. Now I feel guilty using this much," confessed Rin.

"How much is it?" asked Inuyasha as he walked up behind Rin and looked at the paper.

"A lot…enough to make me feel **very** guilty," answered Rin as Inuyasha whistled at the total amount on the piece of paper.

"That's a shit-load of money. Enough to last me for at least half a century," commented Inuyasha.

"I know…" muttered Rin as she looked guiltily at the sheet of paper.

"Cheer up. You know how fucking rich Sesshoumaru is. This is probably just chump change for him," said Inuyasha.

Rin looked at him and smiled gratefully. She was grateful for him at trying to cheer her up. _I just hope Sesshoumaru-sama will be just as nice when he sees this amount. Who am I kidding? He's never going to trust me again!_ She thought with dread.

"So…speaking of this ball thing I have to attend…whose coming? Anyone I know?" Inuyasha inquired, breaking the brief silence between the two.

"It's mostly powerful and high ranking youkai that live in the Western Lands that have been invited, ones that can take on a human-like form like you and Sesshoumaru-sama. However, there have been invitations sent out to the taiyoukais of the North, South, and East. Unfortunately there was also an invitation to that Tomoe lady's family," replied Rin as she looked down the guest list.

"Why the hell would Sesshoumaru invite that bitch?" exclaimed an angry Inuyasha.

"Because although she may be insane (Inuyasha snorted at this and mumbled that she _was_ and _is still_ insane), she is still a high-ranking and powerful youkai that can retain a human-like form," explained Rin. Inuyasha just looked pissed at this and merely glared at the guest list.

"Just curious, but where's Shippou-kun?" asked Rin as she looked up from her work to look at Inuyasha questioningly.

"Still learning youkai etiquette. He's determined to not embarrass himself at the ball. It might also help to know that he was informed yesterday by a reliable source that Souten would be there,"  
answered Inuyasha.

"Souten? Whose that?" inquired Rin, who was very curious about this person who would make Shippou learn his manners and not skip off class like his idol Inuyasha.

"She's the younger sister of the Thunder Brothers," shrugged Inuyasha.

Rin looked at Inuyasha in shock and said, "Didn't you kill her brothers? Weren't the Thunder Brothers the ones that killed Shippou's parents?"

"Yes and yes. However, she's entirely innocent. Her brothers were greedy bastards, but the family actually had a strong, loving bond. She was trying to kill me to get revenge for her beloved brothers," answered Inuyasha.

"That still doesn't explain why Shippou would want to learn manners to impress her. He does know that she is the sister of the Thunder Brothers right?" asked a now very curious Rin who had forgotten about her paperwork and was now very interested in Shippou's private life.

Inuyasha smiled and looked toward the sky while leaning on the wall, reminiscing about that particular memory, "Yes, he does. In fact, their first meeting was hilarious. You see, she was trying to defeat me by using Shippou as the bait. The funny thing was, you have to remember this was back during the days of Naraku when you started following Sesshoumaru around…"

"But that means that…Shippou and Souten were only 6 or 7 years old!" sputtered a surprised Rin.

Inuyasha merely smirked at this and laughed, "Exactly. Did you know that the first time they met, Shippou thought she was a guy and not a girl. She looked almost exactly like her brother Hiten. Those two 'fought' each other. The battle was quite funny you know. They threw acorns, tops, and mushrooms at each other. They tried to out-spin each other toys, out-draw each other, and other little mock-battles. When Shippou found out that she was a she and not a he, he quit the fight and even gave her his beloved crayons that Kagome had given him. The little devil even gave her one of those smiles of his. I think that was the first time he gave them. You do know what kind of smiles I'm talking about, right?"

"Oh, you mean those supposed devastating smiles that make the girls instantly fall in love with him?" teased Rin.

"Yes, one of those. You are the only one immune to that smile of his, which is probably why you guys are such good friends," thought out loud Inuyasha.

"That's only because I've been in love with Sesshoumaru-sama all my life. Now please continue," insisted a very curious Rin.

"Well, that poor girl instantly became smitten with Shippou and forgot all about her revenge. Actually she understood the circumstances and decided that she would rather not continue on her revenge. Anyway, the two went their separate ways since that day and didn't see each other for at least a decade. During that time, we both know that Shippou earned the infamous title of being a playboy. Girls of all ages became smitten with him, though I could never and still can't see why. There's nothing good in that brat. Well the thing is, during one of our patrols we bumped into her. Actually, she came to visit Shippou. And you should have seen Shippou's face!" laughed Inuyasha, tears glistening in his eyes in laughter.

"What? What happened? Come on, tell me…please? Inuyasha!!! If you don't stop laughing, how can I know? Inuyasha!!!," pleaded an impatient and very curious Rin.

Inuyasha laughed and laughed, then he slowly stopped and wiped away the tears at the sides of his eyes. His voice was still somewhat laughing, but he continued, "Well, Shippou might not have been able to tell that Souten was a girl back when they were little, but by now whistles he can tell now. You see, Souten had grown up and she is definitely a woman. Shippou didn't even recognize her until she said her name. When she did, you should have seen it Rin. Shippou's jaw must have dropped all the way to the ground and he was drooling! Imagine, the infamous playboy who has wooed many humans and youkais since the age of 6, speechless at the sight of a woman who he had once thought was a man."

"This IS Shippou, we're talking about right? From what I've heard from Miroku, Shippou use to fall in love with a new girl in every village you guys stayed at and they in turn fell in love with him. Miroku said that he changed his heart as often as he changed his clothes," commented Rin.

"True, but this time was different. Shippou was speechless this time. He couldn't even say a word. Usually he goes up to the girl and starts courting her, but nope not this time. In fact, after that visit from Souten, Shippou hasn't even looked or even tried to court another girl. And that visit was two years ago!" exclaimed Inuyasha.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet this Souten. Do introduce me to her when she arrives, won't you Inuyasha? Oh, would you mind if I used this info you just gave me to tease Shippou a bit?" asked Rin.

"But of course Rin. I'll introduce you to her. And yes, you may tease Shippou. I plan to try to make his life as hellish as he makes mine and you would be greatly helping me by constantly reminding him of his infatuation," replied a smirking Inuyasha who was plotting the many ways in which to torture his young ward.

"Inuyasha, aren't you suppose to be attending to your lessons?" asked a very familiar voice.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" exclaimed a surprised Rin. _I didn't detect him either! What's with dog demons?_ Rin thought as she watched as the beautiful youkai entered the room.

"The lessons were a bore so I decided to take a break. I saw Rin in here, working diligently and thought she could use a break. Plus another moment learning about etiquette and I'm very sure I'll go insane," replied Inuyasha calmly as he carefully observed his brother's reaction.

"I at least thought you could put up with those lessons, little brother. Or are you as stupid as you look? It seems your own ward has more intelligence and patience to learn and practice the lessons than you do," insulted Sesshoumaru as he calmly looked down as his shorter and more emotional brother.

"I'm smarter than that brat! I just choose not to learn those stupid lessons. They're at absolute bore! How could anyone tolerate them?!" retaliated Inuyasha.

"But if you don't learn them Inuyasha, you're going to look really stupid at the ball and it's going to tarnish your family's name. So won't you please learn them? Onegi?," implored Rin who turned her pleading eyes to Inuyasha. Now this was the very look that Rin used mostly on her lord to get him to do the things or get something she wanted. Rin wasn't a manipulative and selfish person by nature and therefore hadn't wanted to get many things or wanted Sesshoumaru to do very much for her except for the occasional kimono, hairpiece, or convincing him to go somewhere with her so this adorable pleading look was very rare. Few had ever experienced its effects as Rin had only used it on Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Ah-Uh. Since Rin had years to practice this look and had perfected it on one of the coldest, non-emotional man in history, this look was deadly. As Inuyasha had never had those eyes turned on him before, he was not prepared for its effects. So powerful was the look, he gave in to it after only a second or two of some stammering attempts at making excuses not to learn the lessons. Sesshoumaru eyes glowed with laughter as he saw his own brother succumb to Rin's charm; it made him feel better to know that he wasn't the only one who fell prey to her, but it also made him a bit jealous about it as well.

"Oh, ok. Sheesh. I'll go, but I won't like it," gave in a very unhappy Inuyasha.

"Oh, arigotou Inuyasha!" exclaimed a very happy Rin as she jumped up and hugged Inuyasha before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Sesshoumaru growled at this, clearly unhappy that his future mate was kissing his younger brother. Inuyasha was the only one to hear him growl though due to the fact that his growl could only be heard by very sharp ears. Inuyasha heard the growl and knew that that was not a good sign and tried to pry Rin off him as soon as possible. He watched helplessly as Sesshoumaru began walking to him and Rin, but luckily, before Sesshoumaru could deliver Inuyasha any bodily harm, Rin detached herself from Inuyasha. Inuyasha saw this as a sign to leave the two alone and began to walk to the door.

As Inuyasha walked to the door and out of the room, he passed Sesshoumaru and couldn't help but tease his brother, "Jeez Sesshoumaru, I can see why you're in love with her. She sure has grown up this past decade, brother. And with that face and body, she could get all of Japan to obey her." As soon as Inuyasha said this, he quickly ran out of the room with his supreme youkai speed before Sesshoumaru could digest the words and decide to do him any bodily harm. Inuyasha did not want to die before he could see his Kagome and he especially didn't want to die just because he was teasing his older brother.

Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha as Inuyasha made his escape. Before Sesshoumaru could decide whether he should kill his brother and forget about using him as his heir or just torture him slowly later, he felt long soft arms surrounding his torso. He looked down into Rin's soft brown eyes and forgot all about his damn teasing brother.

"Sesshoumaru-sama? What brings you here?" asked Rin as she looked up at her beloved lord, "It can't be because you missed this Rin because Sesshoumaru's work should come before seeing Rin especially since he can always see her anytime he wants and some of the work he has can not." Rin said all this in third person and in a way scolding Sesshoumaru for abandoning his work, "Because if Sesshoumaru-sama is, he is not showing a very good example especially to his younger brother who needs such a good role model."

"This Sesshoumaru has finished his patrols and work for the day. As for why this Sesshoumaru is here is because he wishes to see his future-mate at work. And it is not one for his to-be-mate to say such things to this Sesshoumaru. This Sesshoumaru has just seen and heard this Rin and his little brother conversing when she should have been doing her work and have sent Inuyasha away to class," teased back Sesshoumaru, his eyes lighting up in amusement as he and Rin teased each other in third person.

"Well, in that case. Do you want to help me with this? Or is it below the work of agreat youkai as yourself?" baited Rin, her eyes staring up at Sesshoumaru challengingly.

Sesshoumaru smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously, "Hmm… I see no problem in sharing part of your burden. I am to be your mate after all. However, I do expect a little reward for helping…"

"Reward? For helping? Why Sesshoumaru-sama…helping is a reward itself," replied Rin. Before Sesshoumaru could respond and say that his help required a reward because he is the youkai lord, Rin added, "However, because you are my beloved Sesshoumaru-sama, what reward would you like from this humble servant for helping her?"

Sesshoumaru grinned and bent his head down to her ears to whisper. His warm breathe caressed Rin's ears and sent shivers down her back before he whispered, "A midnight excursion outside the castle tonight." Rin's first thought was that that was a weird favor to ask of her considering that she knew that he knew that she would have gone with him with or without his help with the paperwork. However, his next words turned her cheeks a very bright red, "And remember to wear that 'swimsuit,' that Inuyasha's mate gave you before she left, underneath your robe."

Rin's eyes went wide open and she stuttered for awhile before she could reply. She stared downward at her feet and Sesshoumaru could not help but be amused at her shyness. Her words were soft and quiet, but Sesshoumaru's youkai ears could hear them although barely. Rin softly muttered to herself, "Kagome gave me a lot of 'swimsuits' so that I could wear them throughout my lifetime, but the only ones that can fit me now are the ones that she says are called 'bikinis' and those are really…"

"Exactly why I said it's to be a reward," answered Sesshoumaru with a lecherous grin.

Rin looked up in shock. Sesshoumaru was being an awful lot like Sango's husband, Miroku, and totally unlike himself. _Then again, _Rin thought,_ it's only directed at me and not at every pretty female in sight. Although Miroku stopped directing his lecherous ways at other women after he married Sango. However, maybe this is part of the real Sesshoumaru, the playful side of him. A part of him that disappeared after all the hardships in his life forced him to bury it._ "Why at night? Why a bikini?" asked a very suspicious Rin.

"When was the last time we really had time for ourselves before someone interrupted us? When was the last time you wore a swimsuit?" retorted Sesshoumaru as he thought about the moments during the week that he thought that they had time to themselves when they really didn't. _Oh, we would be alone for about half an hour to an hour at the most, but someone always interrupts us,_ thought Sesshoumaru_, It would either be one of the servants, Jaken, Inuyasha, or Inuyasha's pup. Being that they are all youkai, they should have been able to sense that we wanted time to ourselves. It's as if they allow us to have the time, but not enough time. Do they think that I, the honorable Sesshoumaru, would debauch my innocent Rin before we officially become mates? What fools…I would never harm her or dishonor her in any way._

"Ok, fine. I agree to this reward, but only because I really do need the help," replied Rin as she detached herself from Sesshoumaru to head back to her stack of papers. Sesshoumaru followed behind her and they stopped before the huge stack. As Sesshoumaru looked at the stack, he couldn't help but notice the account book that Rin had been writing in. He bent down elegantly and picked it. Rin had been staring at the stack of orders, bills, and information so she hadn't notice Sesshoumaru picking the book up. She had just turned around to ask Sesshoumaru where he would like to start when she saw him holding the book in his claws. Rin panicked and rapidly stammered, "Go..Go..Gomen Sesshoumaru-sama! I'm so sorry about the amount of money being used for this event Sesshoumaru-sama. I didn't think it would be so expensive. I was going to tell you about it today, but then Inuyasha came in. I had just finished counting up how everything was going to cost today. I wasn't sure how much you wanted to spend on this event and so I just continued spending. And I…"

"It's fine, Rin," interrupted Sesshoumaru, a bit amused at Rin's panicky words. Rin had been gesturing with her hands and had been talking very rapidly so it took her awhile before Sesshoumaru's words sank into her. She stopped and looked at Sesshoumaru in surprise. Sesshoumaru stared right back at her, the book still in his claws, and smirked, "This amount barely takes anything out of my treasury. And I did tell you to use as much as you see fit. And if it costs this much to make the event successful, I do not mind at all especially since I did not have to worry about the details."

"Arigotou Sesshoumaru-sama!" exclaimed Rin as she ran and hugged Sesshoumaru. She was thankful that Sesshoumaru understood and wasn't mad at her for the amount being used for his ball. She was even happier for the fact that he was trying to make her feel better. Sesshoumaru smiled and bent his head down to Rin's ears.

"I thought we were suppose to work on this stack of papers? Or are we going to continue in this position? I don't mind spending my whole day like this, but I would prefer to get that reward," whispered Sesshoumaru, his claws gently caressing Rin's back and his nose inhaling Rin's scent.

"You're incorrigible, Sesshoumaru-sama," laughed Rin as she took Sesshoumaru's claws into her hands. Sesshoumaru couldn't help, but smile in amusement as his mate-to-be led him to the paper pile.

Later that day…

Shippou and Inuyasha had just finished their daily dose of youkai etiquette. They were exhausted, frustrated, and couldn't wait to get their claws on the cause of their torment, namely a certain youkai lord. However, before they could get their claws onto their tormentor, they wanted to get some grub in. After a long day's work of trying to listen and absorb youkai etiquette, they were starved. The two youkai's agenda for the rest of the evening was "Eat first, hurt later." The two canine youkai entered the dining hall and not only found food, but also their tormentor and his mate-to-be. Instead of entering the dining hall immediately, they decided to eavesdrop. They were disappointed to hear that the two were discussing about the ball…and about flowers of all things!

"I know Sesshoumaru-sama, but I was thinking along the lines of a more European theme plus a bit of a Japanese theme. The main colors for the decoration will be white and blue, seeing as those are your favorite colors and that it's winter. As for the flowers, I ordered lilies, white orchids, and forget-me-nots. What do you think?" asked Rin as she looked down at her list on the dining table.

"Some of those flowers will have to be imported. They aren't in season at this time of year. I think you should add irises to the flowers as well," suggested Sesshoumaru as he too looked down at the list of decorations.

"Irises? Well, let's see…the white orchids and lilies will be at the dancing area with the forget-me-nots. Hmm…irises don't really go with the whole winter theme though. They might look okay outside in the competition areas. But why irises Sesshoumaru-sama?" inquired Rin, curious as to why Sesshoumaru would choose irises of all flowers. After all, the lilies and orchids were white while the forget-me-nots were blue. White and blue were Sesshoumaru's favorite colors.__

"They were my mother's favorite flower as well my father's favorite flower. And if I remember correctly, yours as well," replied Sesshoumaru, who looked up at the list to look at Rin.

"Yes, they are. My mother once told me when I was very young that irises meant hope. They were her favorite flowers as well," said Rin, her eyes revealing that she was thinking back on the few memories she had of her human family.

"My parents told me the same thing…" commented Sesshoumaru, he too recalling old memories.

"And yet your favorite flower is the white hellebore, of the genus_ Veratrum._ The white hellebore is a beautiful white poisonous flower of the lily family, a flower that also happens to bloom in the winter. Let's see…hellebore: beautiful, white, winter, and deadly. Definitely the perfect flower for my lord," said a slightly smiling Rin.

"The Japanese Iris, part of the large genus of _Iris. _A flower that is part of the perennial plants of the iris family, with sword-shaped leaves and conspicuous flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals of widely varying color mainly purple, then yellow, with a black center. The Japanese Iris: beautiful, bright, colorful, fun, spring, full of life, and means hope. The perfect flower for you, my Rin," said an observant Sesshoumaru.

"Oh I think I'm going to be sick. Please tell me I didn't look this pathetic and mushy with Kagome…or that we talked about something as stupid as flowers," moaned Inuyasha as he entered the dining hall, disgusted by what he had just witnessed.

"You and Kagome were worse. You two had those tense, staring at each other, romantic moments that lasted forever. And you guys didn't even talk about things, if you guys weren't staring at each other, you guys were yelling at each other," retorted Shippou, trying to defend his childhood friend.

Rin smiled at Shippou with gratitude and Shippou winked at her as if to say "your welcome." Sesshoumaru merely nodded slightly his thanks while Inuyasha shook his head in disgust.

"Enough about the lovey dovey stuff. Let's eat!" cried Inuyasha as he plopped down on his chair. Shippou, on the other hand, greeted Rin and Sesshoumaru first by bowing down a bit like a gentleman. He then pulled his chair back a bit before sitting down on and placed a napkin on his lap.

"It isn't hard to see on who's been learning his daily lessons. Perhaps Inuyasha, I should let Taka teach you over the weekends as well, seeing as you have barely progressed. Your ward is doing far better than you are. Take pointers off your ward and start learning," suggested Sesshoumaru.

Before Inuyasha could insult his older brother or go on a rampage of certain choice words, Rin interrupted and asked him, "So Inuyasha, what is your favorite flower?"

"Favorite flower? I don't think I have one," answered a surprised Inuyasha. Inuyasha forgot about plummeting his older brother as he was too stunned by Rin's choice of questions to do such an action.

"I think Inuyasha's favorite flower is a red rose which is of the genus _Rosa_. The flower is part of the shrubs of the rose family, characterized by prickly stems, pinnate leaves, and fragrant flowers with five petals that are red," commented Rin, the flower expert.

"A rose?! A red rose?! Nope, definitely not a red rose," rejected Inuyasha, determined to not be associated with such a flower.

"What's wrong with a red rose?!" cried an indignant Rin, who did not understand why Inuyasha would reject such a wonderful flower that matched his personality.

"Kagome once told me that a rose, especially a red one, was the kind of flower that lovers give each other. A red rose represents beauty and love; it is…romantic. And I, for one, am not romantic and will not be considered one," huffed an upset Inuyasha. He definitely did not want to be thought of as one of those lovey dovey sorts, especially a lovey dovey demon considering technically speaking he was, but he refused to let everyone else know that.

Rin laughed at Inuyasha's response. Everyone stared at her and wondered why she would be laughing. Everyone thought that she had finally gone mad, with the exception of Sesshoumaru who was the only person who truly understood Rin.

"Beauty? Love? Ha! Gomen Inuyasha! But I wasn't thinking of you like that. I was thinking of how a red rose matches your personality. Sure, a red rose is beautiful, but it has its own sharp thorns. Like you, it is beautiful, but not without its dangers. One has to be careful with its thorns in other to enjoy its soft petals like one has to be careful with your temper in order to be your friend. Plus a red rose would match that red kimono you always wear. A rose can also mean death and blood. You, Inuyasha, have killed many enemies with those claws especially with that attack that requires blood. As for a rose representing love, that's true. You're willing to wait 500 years to finally meet up with your love are you not? Not many people would wait that long, especially a full-blooded demon male for a human female. It takes a lot of love to do such a deed. The red rose: beauty, blood, death, romance, love, and deadly. This flower represents the many sides of you, which makes it perfect for you," explained a grinning Rin.

"I never thought of roses that way before," admitted Inuyasha, who had gained a new perspective on the topic of red roses, his opinion of them having been changed by Rin's words.

"Rin is an expert of flowers. She has, after all, always loved flowers ever since she was a little girl. She often thinks of people as different types of flowers. She can match any flower with anybody's personality," explained Jaken, who has just entered the dining hall and had heard the discussion about roses.

"Really now?" asked a curious Shippou, "Then what kind of flower would match me, huh, Rin?"

"Hm…this a bit hard, but I would say that Shippou-kun reminds me of a tiger lily or _Lilium tigrinum_," remarked Rin, "what with its beautiful and interesting colors and cute little freckles…"

"Tiger lily? Freckles? How does a tiger lily represent me?" asked a somewhat confused Shippou.

"Well, a tiger lily is a very interesting and beautiful flower. When you look at one, you tend to think that it's a strong plant despite its beauty. The color of a tiger lily is similar to your colorings being that it's bright orange. The spots from a tiger lily look like freckles, which make it adorable like you. The tiger lily: bright, colorful, beautiful yet adorable, attractive, and interesting. Qualities that resemble you. You're bright, colorful, interesting, adorable, and quite attractive," replied Rin candidly.

"Colorful?…I'm not quite sure I like that characteristic. And only quite attractive?! Rin…you wound me…straight to my heart," mocked Shippou as he acted as Rin's words have wounded him. Shippou looks sadly at Rin with great big puppy (or in his case kitsune eyes), points to his "wounded" heart, and mockingly faints into Inuyasha's arms.

"Shippou…get your body out of my arms before I seriously harm you," threatened an annoyed Inuyasha as Rin laughed at Shippou's acting.

"Sorry, Shippou-kun, but after seeing Sesshoumaru…well no one else seems to be as beautiful or as attractive. Don't worry Shippou-kun, although I'm already taken, I'm pretty sure that Souten will think you're the most attractive youkai alive," teased Rin as Shippou blushed.

"Who…who…who…told…youyouyou about Souten?" spluttered a red Shippou. Rin grinned as Inuyasha laughed uproariously.

"Damn. This is hilariously…the smooth tongued kitsune has become tongue-twisted at the mere mention of a certain youkai female," laughed Inuyasha. Shippou glared at Inuyasha and then at Rin before he stomped to his chair and sat down. Inuyasha laughed as he too walked to his seat and sat down.

The three youkai and the one human thus ate their meal in relative silence, relative being that once and awhile Inuyasha would tease Shippou about Souten and laugh as Shippou turned red. Sesshoumaru would look at the two once and a while, his eyes laughing. Rin would look at the two and laugh along with Inuyasha though not as loud and glancing once and a while at Sesshoumaru's reaction to the two. After dinner, each person retired to their room; two of whom were unaware of what was to happen that night while two others were anticipating for the night to come.


End file.
